Wuati Ninjas
by Kissa-chan
Summary: Rikku and Yuffie find themselves in the midst of danger as Sephiroth, Seymour, ShinRa, and radical followers of Yevon plot chaos and destruction. Alternate pairings are possible. Please read and review!
1. Prechapter

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
Story;Wutai Ninjas  
  
Rating;PG-13 for minor swearing and blood.  
  
Genre;Action/Adventure/???Romance???  
  
Summary;Rikku is playing on a Blitz team in Wutai with Yuffie. Everything   
  
is going great until Sephiroth arrives. Why is he after Rikku? How  
  
is he still alive? Pairing? Rikku and Cloud . . . Yuffie and ???  
  
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Author's notes;Pre-chapter, please read to make story understandable. I'll answer  
  
everything that I can about the reality that I'm creating, or rather, altering, here.   
  
Thank-you for your time,  
  
Kissa-chan  
  
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History of Spira:  
  
1,002 years at the first emergence of Sin until 2 years ago at the defeat of Sin in Spira and Sephiroth on the Planet.  
  
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With the arrival of Sin, the remaining Summoner's of Zanarkand attempted to find a way to defeat Sin once and for all. While the majority favored battling him, a few of them were in favor of an entirely different plan. Led by the Lady Tomoe, several strong sorceress devised a plan to contain Sin, sealing it off from the mainland and protecting the people.  
  
They eventually created a magical barrier, known simply as the Barrier. The magical divider was, in theory, supposed to magically transport Sin past all civilization and confine him to the ruins of Zanarkand. For example, if Sin headed North from the city, he was supposedly not supposed to be able to go more then ten miles from the city before being looped back around to the other side of the city.   
  
However, the spell didn't come off without a hitch. It went wild, sealing off nearly half of the Planet and leaving Spira alone to cope with Sin.  
  
Gradually, the people on both sides forgot about each other. The once united planet became known as two separate worlds -Spira and the Planet.   
  
And then Yuna's Eternal Calm came. As she sent Sin, Yu Yevon, and all of the Aeon's and Fayth to the Farplane, the Barrier vanished, leaving the two world's free to explore each other.  
  
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Things that have happened in FFVII's world, Planet.  
  
1.Midgar was rebuilt   
  
2.Shinra was reestablished and seems to be legitement  
  
3.Blitzball is a new popular sport and areas have been built in several towns.  
  
4.Al Bhed energy is being studied as an alternate means of power.  
  
5.Tifa reopened her bar in Midgar.  
  
6.Barret and Marlene are in North Coral   
  
7.Nanaki is at Cosmo Canyon, studying the Planet  
  
8.Vincent disappeared, probably back to his coffin.  
  
9.Cait Sith was permanently shut down; Reeve is an XO at Shinra.  
  
10.Cid returned to Rocket Town and is cussing and swearing like usual.  
  
11.Cloud vanished . . . . . . .   
  
12.Yuffie returned to Wutai and is joining Wuati Ninjas (Blitz team).  
  
13.And evil has once again began to show with the presence of Sephiroth.  
  
Things that have happened in FFX's world, Spira.  
  
1.They have grown more tolerant of the Al Bhed.  
  
2.They despise most Guado.  
  
3.The cities are all getting bigger and more are being planned.   
  
4.Wakka rejoined the Aurochs.  
  
5.Yuna became a Master of Spira (president, queen, ruler, representive).  
  
6.Kimihri is her chief bodyguard.  
  
7.Lulu is experimenting with Materia and Black Magic in Besaid.  
  
8.Rikku has moved to Wutai and joined the Wutai Ninjas (Blitz team)  
  
9.The followers of Yevon still have trouble forgetting their teachings.  
  
10.Things only appear tranquil on the outside, religious zealots begin gathering with plan for destruction.  
  
11.And evil once again surfaces in the form of Seymour.  
  
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So that's your background story. If you have any questions, email me and I will answer them as best as I can. Thank-you for your times, now on to the story:)  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan  
  
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	2. Blitzball tryouts in Wutai

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
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Chapter One;Blitz tryouts in Wutai  
  
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The path was gray and rocky. In the distance, a wooden bridge swayed slightly in the early morning air. Rikku, tired from the long boat ride from Midgar, paused on the first of the swaying bridges. She shadowed her swirled green eyes with one hand, searching for any sign of the town she was supposed to be moving into. Her map, crumpled tightly in one hand, was uselessly difficult to understand, and she was starting to think that the merchant who had sold it to her was nothing more them a common creep.  
  
She started foreword, mentally cursing herself for refusing an escort to Wutai. As one of Yuna's former guardian's, she suffered through a privileged lifestyle in Spira. Everyone was always nice to her when she was around, but she knew that behind her back, most of them, still had the same opinion of her as they always did. They hated her because she was an Al Bhed. It was nothing new, but she preferred outright criticism and insults to the ones now whispered behind her back. It had been her reason for moving to the mysterious continent known as the Planet, and accepting an escort wouldn't help accomplish the freedom from Spira and Yevon that she desired.  
  
The bridge swayed violently in a sudden wind, and the battle cry of a large bird engaged the young girl's sensitive ears. Her hand tightened inside her gloved claw, the godhand. The red weapon was her most powerful and therefore, most used weapon in her arsenal. On her left wrist, she braced her silvery white targe. She was ready for battle.  
  
The bird wasn't. After three simple strikes, it hit the ground in a bleeding mass. Rikku paused. Things were really different in here, she reflected. If she had been in Spira, the monster would have been a fiend that dissolved into the Farplane. Instead it became a mass of soon to be rotting flesh. It was rather disturbing.  
  
She looked at the red blood, mingled with deranged features, on her claw and felt her stomach give a violent heave. It was churning at the mere sight of blood; that couldn't be a good sign. She started cleaning her claw, but the gruesome sight of the destroyed monster was turning her stomach, making it wither in a twisting mass of knots. It was making her begin to regret her decision to come to the Planet.  
  
She felt gorge building at the back of her throat and ran off the bridge, retching into the stone outcroppings around her until her throat was sore. Then, when her stomach was empty of all contents, she staggered to her feet, wiping her mouth on her arm.  
  
The rest of the monster's deaths didn't bother her thankfully. The first attack had gotten her used to the presence of blood. She was grateful that she was able to adjust, and by the time that she finally spotted Wutai in the distance; she was in fairly cheerful spirits.   
  
"Nothin' to it!" she cheered softly. She picked up her pace, making her way down the narrow, rocky slope. The gravel was loose under her feet, making stepping uncertain, but the bitter aftertaste of throwing up was still thick in her mouth. She abandoned caution in favor of speed and shot down the path with reckless haste, anxious to get some clean water and rinse out her mouth.  
  
One, two, three, four, the sound of her feet contacting with the hard packed ground thundered in her ears. One, two, thr-! She lost her footing and fell down, tumbling foreword a couple of feet.  
  
"Tysh!" she cursed as she got to her feet and found a rock sized rip in the side of her new green tank top. She put her finger through the hole distastefully and vengefully marched back to the spot where she had initially lost her balance. "That rock is history," she fumed.  
  
Among the small pieces of gravel and sharp chunks of rocks, her eyes fell on a small black stone. It was shaped strangely, completely spherical and smooth, capturing her attention instantly. She picked it up, rubbing her fingers across it curiously. It was warm to her gentle touch, pretty, and completely unable to tear a hole in her shirt. "I wonder," she muttered aloud, eyes falling on the culprit rock, which was jagged and still clasping a bit of green fabric.   
  
She slipped the smooth rock into her belt pouch, intending to see if it had attack purposes later. Then she picked up the guilty rock and flung it as far away from herself as possible.  
  
"There! Go trip up some ill-fated monster!" she shouted after the rock.  
  
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Less then five hours later, her small travel bags safely deposited in the small red roofed house that she was going to be living in, Rikku stood in front of the blitzball arena. Stretching far into the clear, blue sky, it dominated the heights with silver and blue metal. A large banner stretched across the door, declaring tryouts were to be held within the hour.   
  
Rotating her neck to get a couple of kinks out, the Al Bhed girl grinned. "They won't be able to keep me off that team!" she declared cheerfully in perfect unison with someone else.  
  
"Huh? That was weird - " she began to say in surprise.  
  
"Whoa! You said that as the same time as me!" a dark haired girl declared. "So you're trying out for Wutai's Blitz team too?" She was a little on the petite side, dressed in small white shorts and a navy blue top. Her dark brown hair was cut short and pushed back with a gray band. She was grinning broadly and had cheerful look in her dark brown eyes.  
  
Rikku nodded once and grinned. "I'm Rikku bien-Cid. I just moved into town."  
  
"Yuffie!" the girl said with a wide smile of her own. "I'll bet that you're the one who bought the house on the east side of town by the river," she added slyly. "You look like a sucker for sunny places."  
  
Rikku nodded. "Yeah, I bought it and I like sunny places too!" She shrugged shortly and added, "But then, who doesn't?"  
  
Yuffie pulled her pretty mouth into a frown. "Vincent Valentine. . . probably," she answered automatically, thinking of the dark haired man. "He's the type that likes it dark, dank, and quite."  
  
"Maybe he's a vampire," Rikku suggested jokingly. "Either that or he's got sensitive eyes."  
  
Yuffie started to laugh. "Oh, that's a good one!" she gasped between howls. Rikku looked at her perplexed until the dark haired girl managed to contain her laughter. "Vincent . . . . he . . . that is..." she choked back more laughter, "...we found him in a coffin in-"  
  
"A coffin?!" Rikku exclaimed in alarm. "Uhhmmm . . . . is he . . .erm . . dead?" she asked worriedly.  
  
Yuffie shook her head. "Naw, he was just sleeping, forget about it." She glanced towards the banner and started walking then spun back around to face Rikku with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any materia, would you?"  
  
"No, what's that?" Rikku asked. "I've never heard of it before."  
  
"Oh, are you from that other place then?" Yuffie asked brightly. "What's it like there? And what do you use instead of Materia?" An insufferably curious expression slipped across her face as she spoke, making it clear to the Al Bhed girl that she wanted to know all about Spira.  
  
"I still don't know what Materia is, but I guess it's okay . . . ." Rikku said with a slight frown as she formulated an avenue for learning about the Planet. She shook her head quickly, and decided to attempt to implement it. "Hey, you're from around here, right?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Born and raised in the Wutai area!"  
  
"And you want to know about Spira, right?" Rikku continued growing considerably more comfortable with her upcoming proposal. She felt confident that it would be accepted.  
  
Once again Yuffie bobbed her dark head in an affirmative. "Yep! I'd even like to go there. That's why I'm playing blitzball. That way I can check out all sorts of cities in Spira!" She spun around, flinging her arms to the side as she spoke. "Why'd ya ask?"  
  
"Well, I'd like to know about the Planet," Rikku explained. "Maybe after we make the team, we could tell each other about the different places. It'd make adapting to them easier, you know." She batted her hands lightly in the air in front of her as she spoke, a light and playful look on her youthful features.   
  
"Say, you're pretty easy-going, aren't you?" Yuffie noted. "I think we'll get along great. How about we be friends?"  
  
That was more then Rikku had expected, but she felt warmed by the offer of friendship. Things in Wutai were already looking pretty good. "Sure, if you really want to," she said happily. "Let's get going inside and secure our positions as teammates!"  
  
"Yeah!" Yuffie cheered loudly.  
  
Both girls raced up the steps and into the stadium where the tryouts were being held.  
  
Several people in the street cringed at their enthusiasm  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"For the position of Midfielder......Yuffie Kisaragi," Key, the team captain, called out in a loud voice.   
  
"Yes!" Rikku and Yuffie exclaimed at the same time.   
  
"I made it!"  
  
"You made it!"  
  
"This is so cool! I thought they might not let me play and pick that idiot Fred!" Yuffie gushed, exhilarated. The 'Fred' in question started slightly and began to glower at them hotly.  
  
"I knew they'd pick you! You performed great, much better then that Fred-guy, in any event!" Rikku declared in loud, happy tones. "I mean, the last shot you made was like - Whoa! - and the goalie was like, not even near stopping it and - "  
  
"Ahem, Miss Yuffie, Miss Rikku," Fred called out, trying to catch their attention so he could finish the team announcements.  
  
They both fell silent and addressed their full attention to the front of the room. "What?" Rikku asked suspiciously.   
  
"May I finish?" he inquired. "I hate to break up your well deserved joyous celebration, but I need to announce the last two members of the Wutai Ninjas."  
  
"Sure thing," Yuffie said, forcing herself to lounge casually back into her chair.   
  
He cleared his throat again. "For the position of Right Defense, Rikku - "  
  
"AHHHHHHH!" Rikku screamed in sheer delight. "We both made it!"  
  
They sprang out of their seats and clasped hands, cheering loudly. "We're going be on a blitz team together and - "  
  
"And you two complete idiots?" Fred demanded, sick of their cheery moods and insulting words. "He ain't done calling the team yet, so could ya shut yer holes?"  
  
In response, they stuck their tongues out at him. "No!" they shouted, blowing him a couple of raspberries.  
  
Key sighed, and rubbed his slightly unshaven chin. "And the last position is for Fred Bolvia. You two can cheer as loud as you want now."  
  
Fred turned in his seat, making eye contact with both girls and smirking. He was delighted to have made the team. Although, if the truth must be told, he wasn't a really good player. In possession of modest skills, with a little effort, it was possible that he could be a great player. However, his self-absorbed attitude and ball-hog playing attitude made that highly unlikely.  
  
"Cool," Yuffie said quietly, determined not to cheer now that she had permission. She glanced at Rikku and smiled, barely able to contain her laughter and joy at being picked - and her irritation at Fred's seemingly unavoidable presence.  
  
"Let's go outside," Rikku suggested softly. She was also brimming with good cheer, slightly dampened by Fred's position on the team. "We can go to somewhere and grab a bite to eat..."  
  
"Good idea," Yuffie answered quickly, sharing a brief smile with the blond girl before they stood up and headed towards the door.  
  
"I'll see you later, Rikku!" Key shouted just as they began to open the door. Neither of them paused.   
  
In mid-stride, Rikku called over her shoulder, "Later, Key!"   
  
Moments later, they were outside screaming joyously to anyone who'd listen. "We made the team! We made the team! We made the TEAM!" Several people looked at them with distaste, but nothing could dampen their spirits.  
  
"Hey, let's go to Turtle Paradise!" Yuffie exclaimed abruptly. "I'll race you there!" She took off, humming brightly to herself.  
  
"Wait!" Rikku shouted. "I don't know where it is!" She watched Yuffie round the corner and vanish. "But I'll find . . . . " her voice trailed off as she glanced to the side of the street.  
  
She had caught a glimpse of a man, dressed completely in black. Like a shadow, he flowed down the street, long silver hair blowing slightly behind him. A rainbow colored light spilled from his body for a brief moment, illuminating glowing green eyes.   
  
Rikku felt a surge of recognition, not for him, but for the light, it was the hauntingly familiar light of pyreflies. They meant that he was dead, whoever he was. Then a wave of cold hit her full force in the stomach, doubling her up in pain. She felt her vision blur and caught him staring at her. She fell to her knees, clutching at her stomach as the dreadful, cold feeling in her gut increased.   
  
Her skin felt cold and clammy. She could hear him start to walk toward her, his boots making barely any noise against the road. An uncertain fear, even worse then her phobia of lightning overcame her and she almost passed out.  
  
A group of brightly dressed people passed by, talking and laughing about the great time they had on a recent trip. They broke her contact with the silver haired man. The pain in her stomach vanished along with the cold feeling.  
  
She stood up as the group passed, looking for any sign of the black cloaked man or anything else that might have caused the bad feeling. The streets were busy with the bustle of tourist activities. The stream that cut through the city sparkled brightly, gurgling cheerfully with disregard to her situation. There was no sign of anyone wearing black, and no sign of anything else that might have caused her pain.   
  
"Hey, Rikku, what are you doing?" Yuffie's bright voice filtered towards her in a sudden rush, scattering the remains of her bad feeling. She turned and offered a weak smile that quickly grew into a wide grin.  
  
"I don't know my way around Wutai yet, you know," she responded brightly. "And here you were planning on racing me, that was so not fair. I decided to wait here until you came back." She also decided to keep the disturbing man out of their conversation. "He wasn't walking towards me anyway," she muttered to herself.  
  
"Huh?" Yuffie questioned. "Were you talking to me? What did you say?"  
  
Rikku looked up startled and shook her head. "No, I just . . . . oh, never mind. I got it figured out already."  
  
"Thinking about cute guys?" Yuffie asked slyly as they entered Turtle Paradise and selected a table by the far wall.  
  
"No, not really." Rikku answered truthfully, although she had to admit that whoever the black cloaked man was......he was attractive.  
  
Yuffie ordered them a couple of drinks. "Speaking about guys, what do you think about Key? Is he your type or what!" she exclaimed.  
  
Rikku scrunched her face up. "No way! What would ever make you think something like that? He's completely the type of guy that I'm not and never will be interested in!"  
  
Now it was Yuffie's turn to frown. "I took you for the type that liked outgoing and cheerful guys. Besides that, I think Key's got the hots for you. He was watching you throughout tryouts. I know, I saw him," she added knowledgeably.  
  
"Oh and I think that you and Fred are prefect!" Rikku shot back sarcastically.  
  
"No way!" Yuffie denied instantly.   
  
"Then what type of guy DO you like?" Rikku inquired in a light, but demanding tone.  
  
"I like . . . . .well, I don't really know. I know that I don't like stuck-up-snobs-who-can't-see-past-the-end-of-their-nose-guys like Fred. How 'bout you?"  
  
"Quiet, mysterious, tall, anti-social, skilled with swords . . . . . " Rikku replied, ticking each point off on her fingers as she said them. "But I'd like him to be compassionate too, you know," she added wistfully.  
  
"Really?" Yuffie said in surprise. "That's astonishing considering your personality. I say you'd make a better match with Key."  
  
Rikku shrugged. "What can I say, opposites attract - "  
  
"Yeah, and in any minute, Key's going to burst through the door shouting your name!" Yuffie snickered. "I think that you should at least give it a shot - "  
  
With a dull thud, the door to Turtle Paradise was flung open at that exact moment.   
  
"I wonder who that is," Rikku muttered, spinning in her seat to get a glimpse of the door. Yuffie, who was already facing it, covered her mouth with her hand and started to snicker. Rikku glanced back at her curiously before she had seen who was coming through the door. "Who?" she asked.  
  
"Rikku! Yuffie!" Key shouted, a wild and excited look on his face. "We got out first game assignment!"  
  
"When?" Rikku asked calmly, ignoring Yuffie who was making kissing noises loudly behind her.  
  
"Tomorrow!" Key exclaimed. He grabbed Rikku by her waist and spun her in an excited circle. The young Al Bhed girl wasn't impressed or even excited.  
  
"Put me down, Key. This isn't good news - "  
  
"Yeah! We get to play our first game tomorrow!" Yuffie cheered happily.  
  
"No, it's bad," Rikku repeated in a concerned voice.  
  
"How could it be bad?" Key asked in surprise. He signaled the bartender for a round of drinks and slipped into a chair beside Rikku - too close for the young girl's comfort. She stood up and frowned.  
  
"Who are we playing?" she asked, green eyes dark with worry.  
  
"The Luca Goers!" Key answered.  
  
"Wow, aren't they one of the best teams in the league?" Yuffie said in questioning surprise. "Do you think that we're ready?"  
  
"Yes!" Key exclaimed.  
  
"Sadly, no," Rikku said shaking her head slightly. "Someone's giving us the short end on this deal. We haven't even had one practice yet..."  
  
"But we'll manage a victory with a team as sound as ours," Key announced confidently. "I mean with Yuffie, Yara, and myself on offense, Rikku and Fred on defense, and Mori at goal..."  
  
"Fred's worth shit for defense, offense, and blitzball in general," Rikku said in irritation. "Don't mention my name in the same breath as my, unless it's to illustrate my superior skills..."  
  
"What type of team are they - the Goers, that is," Yuffie clarified quickly. "Are they going to be really hard to beat or - "  
  
"They're the worst team to get. They know they're good and they're conceited.," Rikku responded.  
  
"I stand by what I said earlier," Key said seriously, standing up and staring hard at Rikku. "We'll win."  
  
"I hope so, losing to the Goers will be practically unbearable..." Rikku muttered darkly. "I hope so..."  
  
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Author's notes;  
  
Al Bhed translations;  
  
Tysh = Damn  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	3. Blitz off

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
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"All right," Key announced in a serious voice. "Today is our first offical game in the International Bitzball League. As all of you are already aware, we're facing off against the Luca Goers, one of the best teams in the sport. Some of you may feel that our chances of winning are slim to none." He looked sternly at Rikku as he spoke. "however, the rest of us feel that our chances are pretty good!" His boyishly handsome face broke into a wide grin. "We're going to take everyone by surprise - now get out there and show them what the Wutai Ninjas are all about!"  
  
A nervous cheer went up throughout the room. In spite of Key's confidence, all of the other player, with the exception of Fred, were following Rikku's skeptical outlook for their first game.  
  
"Well, so long as we do our best," Yuffie finally declared, breaking the stiffling silence that was settling over the locker room. "Then who really cares about the rest?" She was aiming for a bright mood, but it feel short rather abruptly.  
  
Rikku smiled lightly at the dark haired girl. "Com on, Yuffie, let's hit the Steam Room and relax a bit before the buzzer sounds," she suggested.  
  
"Steam Room?" Yuffie questioned. If anything could take her mind off the upcoming game, curiousity could. "What's a Steam Room?" She bounced a couple of steps, catching up with the strolling Al Bhed. "What's a Steam Room, Rikku?" she demanded when she didn't get a reply.  
  
"You'll see," Rikku said, glanceing at the older girl with a smile. "They're great!"  
  
"Have you ever been in one before?" Yuffie wanted to know. "Because you told me that you never played blitzball before. And that this is your first game ever and -"  
  
"I knew a guy who was a star player for the....er... nevermind. Where he played wasn't important anyway. The point i he had a ton of stories to tell about his blitzing career. Once, in Macalania - it's a really cold place in Spira - he was telling Wakka, the captain of the Besaid Aurochs, about them. I was listening."  
  
"Didn't this 'Wakka' guy already know about them?" Yuffie asked. She made quotation marks with her fingers when she said Wakka's name and put on a serious face.  
  
Rikku, catching sight of her out of the corner of her eye began to laugh. "Actually, he had been. They were comparing the differences between Zanarkand's Steam Rooms and the ones that are in Spira." She spun, eyes bright with recalled memories. "Wakka was scandalized about the tale that Tidsu told him. He kept repeating in the stupidest tones, "You're sure that the steam comes from machina, ya?" And Tidus just kept repeating what he said, over and over and over again."  
  
"So what is a Steam Room?" Yuffie asked. She glanced towards the ceiling, obviously trying to remember something. "Oh yeah, and what is 'machina'?"  
  
Machina is 'forbidden' by Yevon - the former offical religion of Spira; it's basically anything mechanical. And a Steam Room is, well, take a look for yourself." She pushed open a blue door marked with their team symbol - a ninja doing a kick against a setting sun.  
  
"The people of Yevon would have had a feild day with Midgar," Yuffie noted brightly as she peeked into the room, a tense excited air vibrating from her slim body. Her dark eyes spotted a low bench sunk into the floor and nothing else. Her excitment started to fade. "Uhhm, Rikku are you sure that this is the right room?" she asked in disappointment. "I was expecting more -"  
  
Rikku dropped onto the bench and started pushing buttons. "Sit down and don't be so impatient," she chided her friend. "Didn't anybody tell you that patience is a virtue?"  
  
"Yeah," Yuffie said darkly, thinking about the hated phrase. "And every single time that they did......"  
  
"I'd try and stop thinking and run off impatiently!" both of them exclaimed at the same time. They exchanged wickedly gleeful grins and leaned back as steamy water began to seep onto the bench they were sitting on.  
  
The water continued to rise until their small waists were covered and most of their bare bellies. At the same time, hot white steam issused from vents in the walls. Beads of sweat began to collect on their skin, merging with droplets of condensing steam.  
  
Rikku flung her head back, bracing herself with her arms. "Just relax your mind for a moment or two," she murmured. "It feels great to be able to relinquish all need to think."  
  
"Hmm?" Yuffie murmured, already in a relaxed pasture. She cracked one dark eye open. "were you talking to me?" she asked languidly, but Rikku didn't answer. Both of them were thinking about the upcoming game and trying to force their bodies to loosen up.  
  
Several minuted later, the steam turned off, and it was time to step into the sadium as players for the first time in their short, but still eventful lives.  
  
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"And today we have the first offical game of the new league season!" the announcer exclaimed. "Let me tell you, boy am I excited! This year instead of the customary six blitz teams, we have several new teams from the Planet participating in the league. What do you think, Bob?"  
  
"Well, Hank, to tell you the truth, I'm really excited. Today we'll be watching the newly formed Wutai Ninjas take on the vetern team, the Luca Goers!"  
  
Hank started speaking again. "I know that there are a lot of fans for both teams in the stands today."  
  
Riku toned the announcer out. They were probably just Goers fans anyway. She brushed a stray lock of blond hair out of her face and shifted her weight on the small platform she was supposed to dive into the sphere pool from. To her left, she spotted Yuffie excitedly bouncing from foot to foot. Across from her, she spotted Bickerson; his sneer glued to his face. She had heard a lot of bad stuff about him from Wakka, and was feeling slightly apprehensive about playing him.  
  
With a loud whoosh, water started materializing in between the roatating metal beams. An energy field initiated at the same time to keep the water from spilling into the audience and draining away. as the water flowed like serpants trapped in a cage, the audience let out a tremendous cheer. Then, when the pool was fulll, they cheered again - louder this time.  
  
The second cheer sounded slightly muted; rikku supposed that was because she was inside the sphere pool now. The water was acting like a damper for the noise of the outside world. She knifed through the water to her position and knelt down.  
  
A buzzer sounded, and the game started.  
  
********************************  
  
Yuffie watched the blue and white ball begin to spin and dimly heard the announcers shouting, "Blitz off!" from outside of the sphere pool. She launced herself straight up, arm reaching for the ball even as Bickerson reacher for it. Her fingers reached, strechin as far as they could, but still falling short.  
  
The snotty captain of the Goers smirked at her, tucking the blitzball undre one arm with a satisfied grin. Yuffie didn't pause, she hit him with all the force in her narrow, compact form, crashing past him with the ball firmly clasped in her arms. Like a shark, she cut through the water towards the goal post.  
  
Then there were players in front of her, blocking her way. She couldn't swim any further. She shifted her grip on the ball and flung it backwards in a long pass to Key. However, the Ninjas captain fumbled the ball and it veered off aimlessly through the water for a long moment.  
  
Then Doram had grabbed it. She started swimming, making good time towards Wutai's goal post. Yara and Fred managed to swim in front of her, but after two unsuccesful tackles, Doram prepared to take a shot on goal.  
  
Even as Yuffie swam furiously back towards the empty goal, she felt her lungs begin to burn. Mori was probably catching her breath at one of the air bubles floating around the sphere pool. 'Dammit, Rikku was right, we're not ready,' Yuffie thought as Doram preformed a beautiful underwater flip.  
  
Her hardened shin connected solidly with the blitzball and sent it spiralling towards the goal post in a perfect Sphere Shot.  
  
Yuffie, her vision slightly blurred with the need for air, spotted Rikku clutching the ball before it hit the net. She tried to cheer underwater and recieved a mouthful of liquid in return. Instead, she flashed a quick thumbs up sign at the Al Bhed and then turned in search of an air bubble.  
  
****************************  
  
The buzzer sounded again, signalling the end to the first period of play. rikku, weary from the intense playing, swam towards the locker romms in a defected fashion. The Goers were in the lead 2-0, and she was running out of energy to play. She had been giving the game her all, but even though she knew the basics, she was still an ameteur and didn't know how to do much of anything.   
  
She exited the sphere pool, pulling her hair out of it's wet and wild ponytail. Moments later, Yuffie emmerged behing her. the dark haired shinobi looked dead tired, but she was still grinning boradly.  
  
"You're really great, Rikku," she said. "I mean, you -"  
  
"Missed every shot that you shouldn't have taken because you're on defense!" Fred interjected, also exiting the sphere pool. "You played out of position the whole period. They wouldn't have scored that last goal if you had been guarding the goal posts properly. Then we would only be down one goal." He turned haughtily away from her and glared at Yuffie. "As for you-" he began.  
  
"He doesn't know anything," Rikku said loudly from behind him. "Ignore him, Yuffie. You played great for your first game and...." she paused for a moment. "The game is not over yet, you know. We can still win -"  
  
"Or just get slaughtered worse!" Fred pointed out in iritation.  
  
"Fred doesn't know anything," Yuffie agreed. "I think I'm going to see my old man. He was in the audience watching earlier." She took a deep breath to clear her mind, then shot up a flight of steps. At the top, she spun and waved to Rikku. "Do you want to come with me?" she called down to the blond girl.  
  
Rikku started foreword. "Yeah, I'd love -"  
  
"Rikku!" Key called out. "Actually, I need a word with you before the next period starts. Please meet me in the Steam Room." He brushed a damp lock of hair back and glanced over at her, searching for bruises and other injuries. "We need to discuss a new startegy. I think we can win with it..."  
  
Rikku turned away from him and back to Yuffie. "Sorry, Captain needs to talk to me. I'll meet your old man after the game, okay?"  
  
"Sure!" Yuffie exclaimed. she hurried away, sticking her tongue out at a glaring Fred.  
  
*******************************  
  
"i want to put you on offense," Key said seriously. "Well play with you at midfield and put everyone else on defense."  
  
"Wha?" Rikku managed. "But I play defense and Yuffie is our midfielder -"  
  
"We need to win," Key responded. I think that we'll be able to put up a better game with you on offense. Then, after some team practices, we can see where you fit best." He grinned crookidly at her. "Beside that, midfielders are more valuable then the rest of the players put together. You'll be getting a lot more attention and a lot more gil."  
  
"What if I don't want attention? What if I have enough gil?" Rikku demanded, putting one hand on her hip. "I'm just interrested in playing to pass time.... I just want to play."  
  
"Then play in the position that I want you to play in," Key said. "Okay?" He gazed at her intently until she nodded her head in agreement. "Good, now why don't you have a seat and relax a bit with me?" he asked, patting the seat beside him and grinning stupidly up at her.  
  
Rikku offered him a troubled smile. "Sorry, I think I'm going to go get Yuffie and tell her what's going on. If she doesn't want to putt a temporary switch, then it's off.... I won't do it if she doesn't agree, you know."  
  
"Then talk to her, but mark my words, she'll gladly give up the position in return for a win for Wutai. She really cares about this town and won't do anything to tarnish it's reputation." With those words, he leaned back, closing his eyes and relaxing into the steamy water.  
  
Rikku turned and hurried into the hallway. She was worried about jeopardizing her new friendship with Yuffie. Most people didn't like it when their positions on teams were given away without permission. It made them anrgy and resentful. she hoped that Yuffie wouldn't be like most people. "Come on, be unique," she silently urged the dark haired shinobi.  
  
Then she rounded the corner and was in the audience. Almost instantly a cold feeling clutched at her stomach, drawing a startled gasp on pain from her lips. Several people looked over as she lost her footing and fell down the stairs she had just climbed.  
  
*******************************  
  
yuffie heard Rikku's startled cry of pain and spun, dark eyes searching for the injured person. They fell on the blond girl just as she toppled out of sight. "Rikku!" she hollered, racing foreword. "See ya latrer, old man!" she shouted towards her dad.  
  
She shot down the stairs, senses on high alert for the source of the Al Bhed's pain. She reached rikku's side. "Hey, what happened?" she asked, concerned. She slipped an emergency elixar from her pocket and cracked it over the partially unconcious girl.  
  
Rikku sat up abruptly. "Yuffie?" she questioned. "What happened?" She looked around quickly. "I didn't fall down the stairs, did I?"  
  
"Were you attacked? What happened?" Yuffie asked, knowing that she was repeating herself and Rikku at the same time.  
  
She watched Rikku carefully consider the question. "I got a weird pain in my stomach when I got into the audience...." Rikku started quietely. "It was the same as what I got yesterday on the way to Turtle Paradise." She paused, green eyes narrowing. "I wonder if it had anything to do with that guy....."  
  
"What guy?" Yuffie asked. "Is someone attacking you?"  
  
Rikku got to her feet, eyes coming to a rest on the clock. "we have got to get back to the game. It starts in a couple of minutes and.... " she hesitated. "....Key wants me to play midfielder for the second half."  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Sure, that's kinda what I was thinking too, but about that bad feeling, what do you think it could have been?"  
  
"Well, I guess it could hae been....." she dropped her voice to a thread bare whisper. "PMS. I haven't started yet this month, you know."  
  
Yuffie's eyes widened. "That's probably it!" she exclaimed quietly. "But is it usually this bad for you?"  
  
"Might just be the stres of moving to a new continent," Rikku whispered. "That would probably make it worse then usual. I think."  
  
"Sure," Yuffie agreed. "Are you going to be all right to play?"  
  
"Yeah," Rikku nodded. "Let's hurry though, we only got a couple of minutes before we're expected in the sphere pool."  
  
  
  
"Right," Yuffie agreed. She pulled her hand into a fist in front of her face, a determinded look flirting across her features. "Let's go and WIN!"  
  
As they raced back towards their locker, Rikku cast one last glance behind her. She couldn't seem to shake the feeling that the sliver haired, green eyed man was the source of her discomfort. Her eyes shifted rapidly through the audience, and she caught a glimpse of black material and glowing green eyes. Her breath caught and her vision swung back to the spot where she had seen him. An empty seat met her stare. And the feeling of growing tention grew stronger. Something was going to happen.  
  
Soon.  
  
*********************************  
  
Author's notes;Heh, heh, poor Sephy, being dissmissed as PMS.   
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	4. Almost victory party

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Three; Post - Almost Victory Party  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey, great game!" Key called out cheerfully as Rikku left the locker room with Yuffie. The sound of his footsteps on the floor signaled both of them that he was hurrying to catch up.  
  
Rikku sighed, slightly exasperated. "What'cha want, Key?" she asked wearily. "I've had a long week and just want to go home and sleep. I just moved into Wutai yesterday."  
  
Key smiled charmingly at her. "Yeah, I would have remembered a pretty face like yours around town." He had caught up and was leaning against the doorframe, dark hair wet and eyes bright with youthful exuberance.   
  
"Thanks," Rikku murmured, aware that she was blushing slightly. Which, she thought furiously, had nothing to do with Key. All girls liked to be complimented on their looks.  
  
"Hey, why don't you come over tomorrow?" Yuffie asked brightly. "Rikku and I are going to have a post-game almost victory celebration -"  
  
"I thought we were doing that tonight," Rikku interrupted, her forehead slightly creased with a frown.   
  
Yuffie shrugged. "I thought that we were going to postpone it because you're tired. I mean, you just said that you 'had a long week and just want to go home and sleep.'"  
  
Rikku snorted, a very un-lady like gesture. "I suppose I did say that. But, you know, the best time to have a almost-victory celebration is right after we almost win." She brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "We might as well keep going on like we had planned and..." She smiled brightly. "I can always rest tomorrow."  
  
"Are you sure?" Yuffe asked.  
  
"Am I still invited?" Key asked. "I would love to come -"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure and we should invite the whole team - kinda make it a tradition. When we don't get our butts completely kicked, we celebrate together."   
  
"I'll let the rest of the team know," Yuffie called over her shoulder, running back into the locker room and leaving Rikku alone with Key.  
  
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Two hours later, the entire Wutai blitz team was gathered at Turtle Paradise. They were seated around a new large oak table and clearing the remains of food from their plates.   
  
"We played good tonight, but it could have been better," Yara announced. She brushed her chestnut colored braid over her shoulder and signaled the bartender for another round of drinks. Classically beautiful, Yuffie and Rikku felt slightly out-classed sitting beside her.  
  
"I'm going to the bathroom," Rikku announced in a soft voice. Fred had began to rag on Yuffie's goal, claiming that she had been playing out of position. In the future, he recommended that she be punished for such disregard to the rules.  
  
Yuffie watched Rikku slip into the ladies room and sighed. She was going to have to fight this battle alone. "Fred, Fred, Fred," she said in parental tones, shaking her head in disappointment. She allowed herself a mental grin when he looked at her startled.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
Then she let loose. It wasn't in her nature to stand there and let him ridicule her. No one got away with making a ninja mad and he was certainly no exception. "How dare you accuse me of playing out of position!" she shouted. "I scored the final goal of the game, a goal that allowed -"  
  
"Yeah, but it was still not right," Fred continued, his cornflower blue eyes narrowing in preparation for a battle.  
  
"I'm going to check on Rikku," Key murmured softly, departing from the table quietly.  
  
Mori caught him by his elbow. "Key, she's in the girls bathroom." She glared at him from under a curly mass of coppery curls. Her sea green eyes reprimanding him. "You can't check on her."  
  
"Oh, Fred, you're sooooooooo stupid!" Yuffie screamed at the top of her lungs.   
  
Mori glanced at her and then back to Key, letting Yuffie and Fred continue their argument. "I'm watching you," she warned. "If you go into the girls room -"  
  
"Let him be," Yara ordered sharply, tipping her glass back and wiping her mouth. "Rikku invited him into the bathroom with her. She's waiting for him."  
  
Mori frowned, "I don't think that she - "  
  
"Precisely why you're still a child, Mor," Yara said simply. "They like each other and are going to be 'naughty' in the bathroom."  
  
Yuffie missed the conversation between the two girls. She had been throwing onion rings at Fred, imagining them to be shuriken.  
  
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Rikku was feeling strange again. Her vision had been warbling on and off throughout dinner, alternating with the cold clamping feel in her stomach. Then her wrists had began to ache, which was a strange sensation and one that she was unfamiliar with. It felt like needles were pulsating in them making little gray spots dance before her eyes.   
  
She leaned against the walls, staring at her reflection. She was just noticing that her skin seemed a little pale when the door opened.  
  
"Give it to me," a cold masculine voice ordered.  
  
She caught a glint of silver as a sword was raised in a threatening gesture. It didn't bug her too much. She had been in plenty of fights and was sure she could take on the 'legendary' bathroom thief.   
  
She spun, slipping her claw out of her bag and on to her hand. "And who the hell are..." her voice trailed off with a startled gasp as a fresh wave of pain shoot through her body. Dimly, she realized that her knees had crashed painfully onto the tiled bathroom floor.  
  
Cruel, calculating green eyes bore into her. She saw the man's lips curve into a smile - a smile that was more of a cruel smirk. He stepped foreword, sword tilting menacingly. "Give me the Black Materia," he said glacial tones.  
  
Okay, she thought, it's not the 'legendary' bathroom thief. It's the really stupid, stupid, picked the wrong target thief. And I can still beat him easily. She came to her feet and leaned against the wall. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said calmly. "In fact, I think you should leave, this is the GIRLS bathroom and you are a man, you know."  
  
She tried to be lazily irritated with the silver haired man. It didn't work, she detected a note of trembling fear in her voice, but it had been worth a try.  
  
He threw back his head, letting loose a bark of soulless laughter. "I know where I am, what I am, and I know that you have what I need."  
  
Rikku cocked her head to the side. "Do you?" she asked, both eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Well, I suppose you also know what your name is, why the sky is blue, and....hmmmm, let's see..."  
  
"I am Sephiroth," the man said shortly.   
  
From his tone and manner, Rikku devised that he assumed his name to be off some importance to her. He expected her to tremble in fear and....hand over whatever it was that he wanted. "Sorry, am I supposed to be impressed?" she asked mildly, noting his green eyes narrowing as she spoke.  
  
Before she could blink, it seemed that he was in front of her. He placed one hand on the side of her face, tilting her head up towards him with his thumb under her chin. "You should know me," he said softly and dangerously.   
  
Rikku froze, unable to move as terror coursed through her body. How could she had been so stupid as to not see him coming? He was just a man, nothing as scary and powerful as Sin. So why did he scare her worse then Sin had?  
  
He was looking at her eyes intently, sending alternating surges of fear and confusion tingling along her spine. "Your eyes," he murmured softly. His head dipped closer to hers, one hand - the one with the sword - pressing against her bare belly to keep her from moving. The sword pointed harmlessly away from her.   
  
Rikku knew that he had never seen an Al Bhed before in that moment. That meant that he was from the Planet. Everyone in Spira - with a few exceptions - knew that all Al Bhed babies were born with green eyes. And not just any green eyes either. They didn't have regular pupils, they were swirled, like a pinwheel, throughout the entire eye.  
  
He was still getting closer. She could feel his breath, hot upon her lips. He's going to kiss me, she thought stupidly. She tried to pull back, but his hands restrained her. His hands and the fluttering feeling of fear inside her.  
  
Bang, bang, bang! Someone was knocking loudly on the door outside the bathroom. Sephiroth jerked his head back, and spun in a fluid motion, hefting his sword carelessly. Rikku sank down the wall, too freaked out to move.  
  
"Rikku?" Key questioned. "What's going on in there? Why'd you lock the door?" He pushed at it again, a motion evident by the slightly moving of the door against and chair jammed under the handle. "I didn't even know that these doors locked," he added.  
  
Sephiroth frowned. "Give me the Black -" he said, turning towards Rikku. He had a mad glint in his eyes now. He strolled towards her, thrusting his sword towards her heart.  
  
Her fear reached a boiling point and seemed to drain away, leaving her empty and in survival mode. She realized distantly that she would die if she attempted to fight him now. She rolled away from the wall and plaster flew everywhere.   
  
Sehpiroth pulled his sword out of the wall, swinging it towards her in a deadly arc. "I want my materia back NOW!" he shouted the last word as his sword smashed into the sink - through the sink. Water sprayed everywhere.  
  
Key's pounding on the door increased. "RIKKU!" he shouted.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Yuffie was winning. Fred didn't stand a chance against her superior throwing skills. She was pelting him mercilessly with onion rings, breaded mushrooms, peas, and anything else leftover. Heck, she was grabbing the food that he threw at her and whipping it back at him with deadly accuracy.  
  
Mori and Yara were both watching from a safe distance, slightly amused with the childish food fight that Yuffie had initiated. Then they heard Key shout Rikku's name.   
  
"What's going on?" Yuffie asked, her eyes falling onto Key's empty seat. They quickly traveled to Key, standing in front of the girls bathroom door, banging loudly. She hopped off her chair and sprang over to him. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, giving him a shove.  
  
Then she heard a voice from inside a bathroom. A voice that she didn't ever want to hear again.   
  
"Shut up," came Sephiroth's muted voice. Then his deadly mursame cut through the door, skewering the spot where Key had been standing mere moments before.   
  
It's not him, she thought furiously. "It's not him," she said out loud, trying to make the statement true with denial. She reached for her PHS unit, recalling as her fingers met the white fabric of her shorts, that she had leant it to Tifa a couple of months ago and not picked it up since.  
  
"Rikku's in trouble," Key was saying. He smashed his fist into the door repeatedly. The others were heading toward the door now. Yara looking superior, Fred looking like an exotic food monster, and Mori looking slightly puzzled.  
  
"Stay back, Sephiroth's in there," Yuffie heard her voice emerge, cold and dark. It frightened her, but not as much as her words frightened the others.  
  
"No, Cloud Strife killed him," Yara said firmly, but there was a tremble in her perfect voice and she started backing away from the door.  
  
"I'll get your Conformer," Mori said simply. The pixie like girl spun and ran out of Turtle Paradise without so much as a hitch in her step.   
  
Key backed away from the door. "Rikku......" he whispered, eyes intent on the door. For one wild moment, Yuffie thought that he was going to try and bust into the room and save her. He liked her after all. It made sense that you would defend someone you - But no, he turned and ran out of Turtle Paradise. Maybe he went to hide under his bed. Yuffie had the feeling that he had hidden throughout Meteor's flight towards the Planet.  
  
Fred had an entirely different reaction. "Hah!" he exclaimed. "You expect me to believe that!" he snarled into a sudden silence that fell over the restaurant and bar.  
  
Yuffie ran to the door, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She could feel her body pulsating at her throat, she could hear the blood gushing to her head. Then she had an ear against the cool wooden door.  
  
Inside, she could hear the spray of water and nothing else. "Rikku," she whispered. She stepped back from the door, feeling wetness at her feet.   
  
The water was pooling out of the bathroom. Her eyes widened in horror as she noted the crimson tinge to the water.  
  
"Rikku!" she screamed.  
  
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Author's notes;  
  
For accuracy's sake, does anyone know what color Yuffie's eyes are? All I can tell from the game is that they're a dark color. I want to say that they're brown, but.....if anyone knows, tell me.  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	5. Hidden Motives

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Chapter four; Hidden motives  
  
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They broke open the door. Actually, Mori returned with Yuffie's conformer and the ninja hacked at it until it splintered and broke. A wooden chair was shoved under the handle, and Yuffie pushed past it and into the room.  
  
It took a couple of minutes to get into the room, and when they did, the sight that met their eyes was one of confused chaos. Of three sinks, only one remained. The others had been broken, pieces of hard porcillian lying in gathering puddles of water. In a couple of places, the piped had been cleanly severed, exposing a fountain of gushing water. The walls were gouged with jagged cuts from Sehpiroth's sword. And lying in a growing puddle of water and blood was a blond haired girl.  
  
"Rikku?" Mori called softly as Yuffie ran foreword. She pulled her coppery curls back and watched as Yuffie cast Cure. "Is she going to be all right?"  
  
Yuffie didn't respond. She tried to hoist the Al Bhed girl onto her back, but failed. Instead, she dropped to the floor, ignoring the seeping wetness in the seat of her shorts. There, she buried her face in her hands, body zinging with disbelief even as her mind accepted the fact.  
  
It hadn't been easy. Beating Sephiroth and saving the Planet had been the hardest thing that she had ever done in her life. She had counted herself lucky that she had lived through it. "Sephiroth should have died." It was a statement, something that she knew was true.  
  
"He did," came the surprising answer. "I mean, he's dead, just not.....you know....." It was Rikku's voice and coming meekly from the floor.   
  
"You're alive?" Mori asked. She was hovering by the door, looking from Yuffie to Rikku and back again. "Did you see who attacked you? Was it -"  
  
"Wait!" Yuffie interrupted. "Don't ask her that." She brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "Rikku, can you describe the person that attacked you. What did he look like?"  
  
Rikku didn't respond. She sat up, looking around the ruined bathroom. "I sure made a mess in here, you know," she said thoughtfully. She got to her feet and started walking around the room slowly.   
  
Yuffie watched her the entire time. "Rikku, I need to know -"  
  
Rikku winced. "I'm still trying to figure out what happened," she said softly. "When I figure that out, I'll let you know."  
  
Yuffie shot to her feet. "NO!" she snapped. "I'm your friend, and I'm worried about you. More then that I want to kick the guy who did this to you - I want to kick him in the ass!"  
  
"Hit him in his 'family jewels'?" Rikku inquired with a slight smile. "Well, that should be interresting to say the least." She reached out and slapped Yuffie casually on the back. "But right now, I think we should be getting on our way home.....or rather, I should go to my home and you should go to yours and we should both sleep and then in the morning - oh, hi Mori. What are you doing just standing there - "  
  
"Are you okay?" Mori asked. "Are you hurt really bad?" She stepped into the room with a quick step. She pulled out a healing potion and held it out to Rikku. "If you're still injured, you can use this."  
  
"You're not sending me home like nothin - " Yuffie began.  
  
"I'm fine," Rikku said firmly.  
  
"No, you're not," Yuffie responded with steal in her voice.   
  
"I just need sleep, coming here tonight was a bad idea, but," she shrugged. "The point is everyone's alive, we tied the game, and...." Rikku's voice trailed off.  
  
Yuffie frowned slightly. She grabbed Rikku by her bicep. "Come on, I'll take you home." She smiled. "But I'm spending the night at your house, just to make sure you're going to be okay, okay?"  
  
Rikku smiled for a moment. "Sure, I don't think he'll be coming back tonight. So you'll have to give it a couple of days before you can kick his rump."  
  
"If he's who I think he is, he'll be back tonight," Yuffie said confidently - and fearfully.  
  
Surprisingly Rikku shook her head. "No, he said that he wasn't coming back....he said that he'd come back when he could beat the alure of........." her voice trailed off and she ran her fingers over her lips. "Or when I surrendered myself to him........"  
  
Yuffie glanced sidelong at her friend. Something wasn't adding up. Maybe it hadn't been Sephiroth's voice she had heard after all. Because it was clear to Yuffie that whoever it had been had kissed Rikku.  
  
"Did he kiss you?" Mori asked, startling both girls. "He didn't force himself on you, did he?"  
  
Rikku readjusted her ponytail slightly. "He kissed me.....but it was almost against even his own will. He didn't want to do it. It was like he was compelled."  
  
"Did he do anything else?" Mori asked, curious in spite of herself.  
  
"Why didn't you fight back?" Yuffie asked. Probably because she'd not a fighter, you dolt, she thought to herself even as the words left her own mouth. Probably because if it was Sephiroth he was everything she wants in a man except compassionate.......she let the thought trail off. "Never mind the answer to that," she said aloud. "Let's just get going."  
  
"I'll see you both later," Mori called hesitantly after them as they left. "I'll talk to the owner of this place and get the bill for the bathroom. I think Key will want the team to pay for the dam-"  
  
"I'll take care of it!" Yuffie and Rikku exclaimed at the same time. Both of them turned and grinned, a smidgeon of their humor returned.   
  
"Where were you going to get the money from?" Yuffie asked almost casually as they slipped out of the restaurant and towards Rikku's house, waving bye to Mori.  
  
Rikku offered a pale ghostly smile. "I thought that would be obvious - fighting monsters. You'd be surprised how much cash they carry around with them...."  
  
"You fight?" Yuffie inquired. For the moment, they both put Sephiroth out of their minds.  
  
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Sephiroth was angry, hurt, and confused. The girl had his Black Materia and instaed of taking it from her, he had kissed her. Instead of killing her, he had deliberately missed every shot. There was something wrong with that. It wasn't right.   
  
"I think that you're forgetting you purpose," he heard a voice behind him announce. He turned slowly, letting his cold green gaze fall onto the man standing fearlessly behind him.  
  
"What do you want, Seymour?" he asked in a soft dangerous voice. Briefly he considered killing the other man once again. It was a fruitless gesture, but he felt satified every time that he did it.  
  
"What do I want?" Seymour murmured. "Well, I want you to be happy and be able to rest in peace." He looked at Sephiroth with sharp blue eyes that weren't even close to being concerned about other people's happiness. He had his own agenda, and Sephiroth knew it.  
  
The man standing slightly behind Sephiroth was shorter then the silver haired man, but still tall. He had periwinkle blue hair, shooting out in almost all directions. Pale blue veins stood out on his forehead, accenting his pale blue eyes. He was dressed in robes - the kind that priests wear - and held a staff in one long fingered hand.   
  
He had the look and feel of a magic user, and Sephiroth had little doubt that he could successufly defeat the man using spells. Fortuentely for the crazed sociopath, he was a physical fighter of unparrelled skill. He could - and had done so in the past - beat the half guado with one shot. But it really couldn't kill him - Seymour was already dead. Just like he was.  
  
Sephiroth didn't speak. He let his eyes - a smodering and glowing green - penetrate the heart - if he had one - and black soul of the man standing before him.   
  
Seymour almost flinched. He took the tiniest step backwards and then stopped. "You're supposed to be retrieving Yuna from Luca," he said in an oily smooth voice. A politicians voice.  
  
"I have my own agenda," Sephiroth said with a suddenly malice filled voice. "I saw the woman you wanted and realized your intentions."  
  
"And you object to my midnight plans for my wife?" Seymour asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why, I didn't realize that you cared for the fate of strangers or allies."  
  
"I don't." Sephiroth let the words fall smoothly and dangerously from his lips. He didn't elaborate further and his selnder fingers began to tap slightly against the handle of his murasame.  
  
Seymour shrugged dismissively. "Of course, you don't care about anyone, do you?" He stepped foreword boldly. "But you are, in fact, at my mercy, Sephiroth. And unless you want to die -"  
  
Sephiroth threw back his head and laughed, letting the sound rain down around him like broken glass. He held up one hand as if to stave Seymour off. "If I don't want to die?" he questioned between his cold hearted laughing. Then as abruptly as it had began, his laughter faded, leaving fearless eyes and a serious face glowering at Seymour. "I'm already dead. Threats of death.......are meaniless...."  
  
Seymour didn't laugh or flinch. He frowned. "Sephiroth I don't think you understand what I mean by death. I'll Send you to the Farplane and your soul will be trapped -"  
  
"In peace?" Sephiroth laughed. Once again he held up a hand in a back-off gesture. "Isn't that what I want, according to you?"  
  
"I know how it feels to be newly dead. You don't know what you want -"  
  
"Don't I?" Sephiroth murmured. "Actually, I do. I want the same thing I've always wanted."  
  
"And what might that be?" Seymour said in a humoring fasion.  
  
"Power." The word fell like ice from lips curved up in a deadly smile. "The kind that can only be achieved by complete destruction."  
  
"You want to be Sin." Seymor's voice was flately irritated. "Too bad, I will be the one to revive Sin and bring destruction to Spira. I'll kill everyone and end all suffering. I will save -"  
  
"That's where we differ," Sephiroth said softly. "I don't want to save anyone."  
  
  
  
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Rikku's house might have been in a sunny spot during the daylight hours, but after the sun went down it was a shadowy spot. The gardens looked dark and twisted, spooky, in every sense of the word.  
  
"Are you sure that you're not hurt?" Yuffie asked for the millionth time. "I mean, of course you were hurt, but the healing potioins should have taken care of those injuries so-"  
  
"Hey, Yuffie, I'm fine," Rikku said firmly, rumaging around in her belt pouch for the key to her house. Her fingers brushed across the stone she had picked up the day before. "I wonder...." she murmured, pulling it out and staring at it in the light of the moon. "Could this be what he wanted?"  
  
"Did he actually say his name?" Yuffie asked suddenly, racing the last few steps to the door and spinning around abruptly. "Did he actually......kiss you?"  
  
Rikku grimaced, slipping the stone back into her pouch and pulling out the heavy iron key. "He said his name was 'Sephiroth' and yes, he did kiss me."  
  
Yuffie sprang off of the steps. "But you hated it, right? You didn't want him to kiss you, did you?"  
  
Rikku pushed past her and unlocked the door. "Of course I didn't want him to kiss me. I...just couldn't stop him once he started to get all.....intense looking." She reached her hand in and flicked a switch on the wall. Soft yellow light flooded the pourch, illuminating both young girls.   
  
Yuffie followed her into the house. "Did he say what he wanted? Did he attack you physically?" She paused. And did he mention how he was still alive? she thought mentally. Out loud she said, "I suppose you don't really want to talk about it, huh?"  
  
"Actually, I had a question for you, Yuffie," Rikku responded. "I want to know what Materia is. You mentioned something on the first day that I met you -"  
  
"That was yesterday, wasn't it?" Yuffie said, flopping on a bare wooden chair. Her dark gaze filtered around the room, lingering on the scarse furniture. "This place is pretty - " The fine trembling that had been building in her stomach spread throughout her body in a mind bending wave. She pushed the fear aside and tried to look casual as Rikku cut her words off.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But about the materia, what can you tell me?" Rikku prompted.   
  
"Oh, yeah," Yuffie murmured. "Uhhhmmmm, Rikku do you really think that he won't return tonight?" Her voice quivered slightly. And she tried to ignore the trembling feeling in her knees. No matter what she said or did - her cheerful act was just an act. She was scared and didn't know what to do anymore. And it was getting harder and harder to not wimper at the mere thought of Sephiroth.  
  
She heard Rikku sigh. "So...." she said softly a couple of minutes later. "Where did you meet Sephiroth at before?" She was moving around the house turning on lights and making sure that the windows and doors were tightly locked. "And just what did he do to you?"  
  
"He's the Planet's equivelent of Sin," Yuffie said darkly. She slipped off the chair and slumped down against a wall. "He's the one that summoned Meteor, killed Aeris, and nearly destroyed the entire planet. He's crasy, a phycho. Dangerous and powerful."  
  
Rikku sat down beside her. "And?" she promted. "What else?"  
  
Yuffie shook her head mutely, causing Rikku to sigh. "The point isn't that he nearly destroyed the Planet. The point is that he didn't," the Al Bhed girl said firmly. "I mean, in spite of everything, he failed and he lost his life. He's dead -"  
  
Yuffie tried to smile. "You didn't kill him," she murmured. "You weren't able to kill Sephiroth when he attacked you in the bathroom. I don't think.....you even got a chance to hit him once."  
  
"He was already dead when he attacked me," Rikku responded. "So I didn't have to kill him. All that I had to do was -"  
  
"He wasn't a zombie. There would have been a rotting smell in the bathroom and you would be puking your guts out," Yuffie said tightly, trying to keep a cheerful face.   
  
"Why would I be puking?" Rikku said with a slight frown. "I mean....why?"  
  
"He kissed you!" Yuffie said sharply. "And if he were a zombie then you'd have been kissed by a corpse -"  
  
"Ew, you're right," Rikku muttered. Then her face brightened. "But he wasn't a zombie. He's not a fiend.....not exactelly. He's got a lot of willpower so I don't know when his spirit energy would downgrade to an actual fiend. I mean, look at Auron, he was dead for ten years and -"  
  
Curiousity temporairly overrode Yuffie's fear. "You lost me," she announced. "Start over at the part where Sephiroth is dead. Then tell me how dead people can walk around and then-"  
  
Rikku smiled inside and out. She had distracted her friend from the fear that had been raging through her body. Now all that she had to do was make sure that Yuffie stayed distracted. "In Spira, one of two things happen to people who die. The most desired and common event is a Sending. The spirits of the dead are Sent - via a Summoner - to the Farplane where they're able to rest in peace." She paused a moment before continueing. "However, sometimes they aren't Sent. The spirits become bitter with the living and become fiends, preying on any that live - trying to kill them, really...."  
  
"So Sephiroth is....a fiend?" Yuffie questioned, her forehead creased in confusion.  
  
"Not exactelly. There are exceptions to everything. Some people who die just except their death. They move to the Farplane on their own."  
  
Yuffie snorted. "I don't think that Sephiroth moved to the 'Farplane' on his own."  
  
"You're right, he's an Unsent," Rikku said with a shrug. Then, upon seeing the unenlightened look on Yuffie's face, she elaborated. "That is, he's a strong spirit that continues on in death. He's just like he was before, only..." her voice trailed off as words failed her. "I guess I can't really explain it."  
  
"If he's just like before, I think I'll go back to being scared," Yuffie whispered in a half-serious manner.  
  
"No, he's dead. That means all we have to do is Send him," Rikku announced.  
  
"Oh, so throw something like Holy Water on him and -"  
  
Rikku shook her head slightly. "Actually, we'll need a Summoner." She paused and then smiled. "I think that it's time to pay my cousin, Yuna a visit. She was against me coming to the Planet in the first place and insisted that I visit her often." Her grin widened. "And she just happens to be a Summoner."  
  
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Author's notes;  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	6. Travel Plans

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Chapter five;Travel Plans  
  
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"This isn't making any sense," Key said in mid-stride. He had been pacing the room like a caged panther since two of his blitz players had approached him with the news that they were going out of town for a while and didn't know when they were going to be back.   
  
Yuffie eyed him carefully, evaluating him in a new light after he had fled the night before. "Key, do you like Rikku?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject. "I mean, do you want to kiss her and date her and have sex with her?" It was a very straight foreword question, but she wanted a clear answer and being discreet wasn't her strong suit.  
  
While Key was starring dumbfounded at the ninja, Rikku spoke up. "Hopefully not," she said with a snort. "I'm too young to be having sex and I don't even want to think about kissing guys right now."   
  
"Well?" Yuffie prompted Key, ignoring Rikku.  
  
He shook his head to clear it and nodded. "Who wouldn't?" he asked. "I mean, Rikku is such a....babe."  
  
"Sure she is," Yuffie agreed. She stood up in one fluid motion, gesturing for Rikku to get up. "Let's go. I'm beginning to see what you mean about Key not being your type. Although, I just want to make sure that you know - Sephiroth isn't your type either. He's just -"  
  
"He's Unsent," Rikku said lightly. "I don't date dead guys. And I won't ever fall for one again -"  
  
"Hold it!" Key shouted, cutting her words off. "You can't just walk out of here without giving - "  
  
Yuffie kicked the door shut with her foot. "I got my Conformer, some spiffy armor, and plenty of materia. I think that I'm ready to take on monsters here and fiends in Spira, how about you?"  
  
Rikku shrugged. "I got my godhand, a good solid targe, and plenty of potions, phoenix downs, and all the other nifty items I'm accustomed to blowing things up with." She tapped her small little pouch at her hip lightly, smiling at the thought of everything she had jammed into the small space.  
  
"Right, then I suppose that we should head to Port Spira?" Yuffie said softly.   
  
"Yeah, but let's run out of Wutai before Key starts following us. I don't want to have to deal with him sputtering about our duty to the team," Rikku said shortly. She broke into an easy jog outside of the blitz arena. However, once Yuffie picked up her pace, she broke into a full tilt run. "Race you to the first bridge!" she called over her shoulder.  
  
"I'm already there!" Yuffie called back, already flying past the blond girl.  
  
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Port Spira was a small town built by an inland harbor. Built in plain brown boards, several small house adorned the town streets. Most of them were also businesses, with the owners living in the upper parts of the houses. The docks were the most elaborate thing in the entire town - when they were coupled with the spectacular boats from Spira and other places on the Planet.  
  
Rikku looked around in appreciation. "They really have made a lot of progress since I came through here last," she said with a low whistle.  
  
Yuffie looked at her incredulously. "When was that?" she asked. She made a show of trying to count days in her head. "All of three days ago?"  
  
"That sounds just about right," Rikku answered. She smiled broadly. "But they finished the paint job on the Inn and finished roofing the weapon shop since then. Port Spira is still under construction, you know."  
  
"What!" Yuffie exclaimed in mock ignorance. "I didn't know that!"  
  
Rikku adopted a sage's voice. "Ah, yes, my precious. Full of knowledge, I am." She patted Yuffie on the head and nodded wisely. "Really, really, really smart, I am."  
  
Yuffie snorted. "Yeah, but how good is your memory?"  
  
"Eh?" Rikku responded, still pretending to be a decrepit old sage. "What was that, girlie?" She tried to keep a straight face, but failed, dissolving into a fit of giggles instead. "Stupid Yuffie making me laugh," she said between fits.  
  
"Don't blame me," Yuffie objected. "I'm just doing my duty, ma'am." She mock saluted and both of them laughed again.   
  
Several jokes later, Yuffie sobered up slightly. "Have you ever been on a really important mission before? The kind where you have to travel all over the place with a bunch of people for a common .....cause?" she asked.  
  
Rikku stopped walking. "Sure," she answered easily enough. Memories of Yuna's Pilgrimage swimming through her head. "I was a Guardian for Lady Yuna. We had to travel to Zanarkand to receive the final Aeon. Although," she added as an after thought, "We never did get the Final Aeon....."  
  
"I did some traveling with a friend of mine, too!" Yuffie exclaimed. "We were traveling for a couple of different reasons, but mostly to stop Sephiroth from destroying the Planet with Meteor."  
  
"Meteor?" Rikku questioned. "That's the thing that nearly destroyed the Planet at three years ago, right. I didn't realize that Sephiroth was responsible for that." She paused. "But I wonder how he managed to call a giant meteor out of orbit. Are you sure it wasn't just a coincidence?"  
  
"He used materia," Yuffie answered. "But that's not the point I'm trying to make. I was just thinking that neither of us have the right leader qualities for the trip that we're taking. Cloud Strife led the group I was with and he always kept the objective in mind. He didn't stroll through towns making fun of really old men-"  
  
"You've got a point. We were following Yuna, but Auron really gave all the choices for her to make and Tidus...... well, he was like our motivater. He made us try harder then we had ever tried before. Without him, we wouldn't have gotten very far."   
  
"Auron and Tidus," Yuffie repeated. "Who are they?"  
  
Rikku sighed. "Auron was Yuna's father's guardian. He was a legend before he joined us. And Tidus was...... a dream." She glanced down at the road. "Neither of them is alive anymore. They're both .... gone."  
  
Yuffie remained silent. She hadn't meant to bring up a tender subject.   
  
As they were approaching the ticket booth, Rikku spoke up. "Parting is such sweet sorrow," she quip. "Anyway, what do you think we should do? We're both immature enough to cause trouble for ourselves - I think that's what you're trying to say."  
  
"Huh?" Yuffie said, drawn out of her thoughts of loses that her friends and she had suffered on their way to stop Sephiroth. "I was just pointing it out as an ideal point. I wasn't suggesting anything."  
  
"Two tickets please," Rikku said to the ticket vendor.   
  
"Two tickets to where?" the man asked.   
  
"You don't have any boats leaving to Luca, do you?" she asked. "It's where we're   
  
heading."  
  
The vendor shook his head. "The currents are pretty rough from her to Luca. You would have to take a boat to Junon first." He outlined the boat course with the back of a pen.   
  
"We'll go to Junon then," Rikku said. "When is our departure time?"  
  
The vendor rang the ticket price into his register and pointed towards a schedule hung in plain sight. "First boat to Junon leaves tomorrow morning at eight a.m. Two tickets will cost you 1,000 Gil."  
  
Yuffie handed the vendor the money. "Okay, I guess we'll have to stay at the Inn tonight," she said to Rikku. "But it's still pretty early, so what do you think we should do?"  
  
"You have an idea," Rikku answered. "I can see some sort of excitement sparkling in your eyes."  
  
"Let's go shopping," Yuffie said. "I could do with some new equipment."  
  
"Okay, but I don't need anything, you know. I'm loaded to the brim with all the items I could possibly need."  
  
"What have you got stocked for materia?" Yuffie asked.  
  
Rikku's eyes brightened. "Nothing. Why don't we go shopping for it."  
  
They entered a small shop and approached the counter. Rikku casually dropped her elbows down. "We're looking for some materia," she announced.  
  
The woman behind the counter smiled. "Very well, what would you like?"  
  
"What do you have?" Yuffie asked. "And what are you charging?"  
  
"We have Lightning, Fire, Water, HP Plus, MP Plus, Morph, Manipulate, and Steal."  
  
"What about Black?" Rikku asked deliberately. "I've got a friend who is looking for some Black Materia. Do you have any of that?"  
  
The woman shook her head slightly. "It doesn't exist," she said. "I've never even heard of it before."  
  
"I have," Yuffie said. "We won't be buying anything right now." She grabbed a suddenly confused Rikku by her arm. "Thank-you for your time."  
  
Outside the sun was setting. "It's getting late," Rikku said off-hand.   
  
"This 'friend' of yours - it's Sephiroth, isn't it. And he's looking for the Black Materia," Yuffie said softly. "Why didn't you tell me last night?"  
  
"You were freaked out," Rikku answered. "I wanted to ask you if you knew what is was but....." she shrugged. "It's didn't work out. Sephiroth attacked me and demanded that I give him the Black Materia."  
  
"Did you?" Yuffie asked abruptly. "Because if you did, I should contact the gang and -"  
  
"I didn't give it too him..... at least I don't think so. Materia are small round stones, aren't they?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Yes, they are." She pulled a green stone out of her Conformer. "This is magic materia - Ice, to be precise. Black materia looks just like this, except it's black."  
  
Rikku nodded. "And Sephiroth can use it to ..... call Meteor?"  
  
"Summon Meteor," Yuffie nodded. "And without Holy we don't stand a chance against him."  
  
Rikku ran her hand through her hair. "Okay, then I guess we really don't have to worry for the time being." She smiled ruefully. "Or maybe we should start to really worry."  
  
Before Yuffie could respond, they were at the Inn. "Let's go inside and get a room, I'll explain everything inside," Rikku said to still any more comments.  
  
Moments later they were in a two bed room with a view of the port. "So, why don't we have to worry ....... or really worry?" Yuffie asked instantly.  
  
"Simple. I have the black materia. Without it, Sephiroth can't summon meteor, right? That means we can get to Yuna without worrying about a giant meteor plunging into the planet and destroying everything, right?" She paused. "I suppose it means that he'll chase us to get it back though and I don't think I'm ready to face him just yet."  
  
"You have black materia!" Yuffie squeaked softly. "Let me see!"  
  
Rikku pulled the black stone she had found on her way to Wutai, and handed it over to Yuffie. "It's the same as your magic materia - except more powerful and black."  
  
"If Sephiroth is going to be hunting us, we should probably pick up a couple of people to help us," Yuffie said after a long, long time. She handed the materia back to Rikku. "Put that someplace safe and don't mention it again. Pretend you never heard of it before, okay."  
  
"I'm game for more people. The more the merrier, right?" Rikku said with a shrug. She slipped the materia back into her pouch. "I don't know anyone around here that would be suitable to come..... with the possible exception of Mori. She's pretty gutsy."  
  
Yuffie nodded her head in agreement. "She always has been. But Mori's not really involved in this...."  
  
"So, who do you suggest we get a hold of?" Rikku asked. "I'm sure that you're thinking about calling your friend - Cloud, was it?  
  
"Yep!" Yuffie said proudly. "But we should probably get Cid. Then we could take the Highwind to Luca and get Yuna really quick."  
  
"So where doesn't Cid live?" Rikku asked with a quick smirk.   
  
"In Rocket Town. It's just east of here," she said.   
  
"And his name is Cid?" Rikku asked softly, humor glinting in her eyes. "And he's got an Airship - that's what the Highwind is, right?"  
  
Yuffie nodded and then stared baffled as Rikku toppled back on her bed laughing. "What's so funny?" she demanded.  
  
"How many airships exist on the Planet?" Rikku answered with a question of her own. "I'm willing to bet that there is just one. Am I right?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Yeah, there's just the Highwind. I still don't get the joke."  
  
"It's just ironic, that's all," Rikku said with a brilliant smile. "There's only one Airship in Spira. And you'll never guess who owns it......" she let her voice trail off dramatically. "It's a stern old fossil named - of all things - Cid."  
  
Yuffie felt her face crack into a smile. "So two airships equal two Cids. That's what you're saying, isn't it?"  
  
Rikku nodded. "Hell yeah!"  
  
"Do you know the other airship captain? Cid might be interested if you set up a meeting between the two of them," Yuffie said brightly.  
  
Rikku nodded. "He's my old man. But back to the matter of where to go and who to pick up........."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
  
  
"So we need two tickets to Rocket Town and want to trade in our tickets to Junon," Rikku finished explaining to the ticket vendor.  
  
"If we hurry, we can get Cid before morning," Yuffie said cheerfully. They had opted to see what the schedule was for boats to Rocket Town. Much to their delight, a boat was just putting the finishing touches on preparations for the trip to the space orientated town.  
  
"And then we can be to Midgar by afternoon with the Highwind," Rikku agreed. "And we'll pick up Tifa Lockheart. See if she knows where Cloud Strife is and retrieve your PHS, so we can call the rest of your cronies."  
  
"Cronies?" Yuffie inquired with a stifled snort. "I suppose you would call them that, wouldn't you?"  
  
"You may exchange your tickets," the vendor interrupted them. "But if you wish to go to Rocket Town, you must do so now. The boat is leaving in five minutes."  
  
Rikku passed over their tickets to Junon. "Sorry," she apologized.  
  
"There is a small exchange fee of 200 Gil," the vendor said in response. He was holding two tickets in a tantalizing fashion.  
  
"Puh~~lease!" Yuffie said, dragging the word out. She slapped the money down on the counter and snagged the tickets out of mid-air. They turned and hurried away as the man greedily swept the money into a box.  
  
"Some people," Yuffie fumed. "Charging us money to make ourselves sick."  
  
"Making ourselves sick?" Rikku questioned. "What do you mean be that?"  
  
"You'll see," Yuffie responded grimly. They handed their tickets to another man and boarded the ship.  
  
"Cloud Strife is pretty famous, right?" Rikku said suddenly as they began to pull   
  
out of Port Spira. "So we should ask around and see if anyone has seen him lately, you know."  
  
"Ask about Vincent, too," Yuffie suggested. "I'm going to lie down in the cabin. Wake me if we make it."  
  
"If we make it?" Rikku asked in concern. "Do you think that there will be trouble?"  
  
"Hard to say, the waters feel pretty rough to me," Yuffie said, looking several shades paler. "I think I'm going to .... urk...." She turned and ran to the side of the ship and threw up.   
  
"Oh, you get seasick," Rikku answered. "I'll ask around while you rest. But first you have to tell me who Vincent is. What does he look like at least." She paused. "He's the guy that sleeps in a coffin. I remember him. He's the one that likes it dark."  
  
"Black hair, dark eyes..... urk..... wears red....Vincent Valentine in a nutshell," Yuffie managed to say. Then she was silently holding her stomach and focusing on living through the boatride.  
  
Rikku started talking to the other passengers.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Author's notes;I'm presuming that not everyone on the Planet knows about Black  
  
Materia. So that's why the materia seller didn't know enough to be  
  
alarmed at the mention of it.  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	7. Add one more

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Chapter six;Add one more  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Tifa twisted her long dark hair back into a loose knot at the nape of her neck. Bored out of her mind in Midgar, she had decided to go visiting her friends... seeing what everyone was doing. But traveling alone wasn't that much fun, so she had decided to visit Yuffie first. She had felt confident that the ninja would jump at the chance to get out and travel.  
  
The only problem with that was Yuffie's recent departure from Wutai. Tifa had arrived just in time to hear that the spunky ninja had just left town with a new friend. No one had really mentioned why, and Tifa had decided against questioning them. For the most part everyone seemed really... stressed. From the murmured conversations, she had gleaned one name... Sephiroth...  
  
She shuddered and pulled the dark jean jacket she had purchased for the trip tighter around her shoulders. Sephiroth was the last name that she wanted to hear.   
  
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a guy who sleeps in a coffin," Rikku said with a wide smile stretching across her face. She had been questioning a lot of the passengers and found out that no one really knew anything. Bored and giving up, she had spotted Tifa and decided to ask once more person. The only problem was that her question didn't come off the way she planned.  
  
"Excuse me?" Tifa said with a slightly raised eyebrow.   
  
Rikku shook her head. "His name is Vincent Valentine -"  
  
"I know Vincent!" Tifa interrupted. "He didn't go back to his coffin, did he?" She felt a stab of irritation at the thought of the former Turk creeping back to Nibelhiem and climbing into his coffin.  
  
Rikku shrugged. "How should I know? I thought he slept in a coffin all the time. I was asking if you knew where he was... because, to tell the truth, I don't know."  
  
"What are you looking for him for?" Tifa asked.  
  
"Eh?" Rikku asked. "Friend and me might need a mint of help with something that we're..." her voice trailed off and she paled slightly. "I think I'm going to be sick..." she mumbled.   
  
The familiar cold sensation was back in the pit of her stomach. That had to mean that Sephiroth was close. And she wasn't really equipped to deal with him by herself. She glanced around, looking for someplace to hide, but finding none.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Tifa asked, standing up from the crate she had been sitting on. "Are you okay? You seem pale -" Her words died as the blond girl suddenly vaulted herself over the side of the boat. "Oh my..." she murmured. She shot foreword, hand extended, and leaned over the side.  
  
The blond girl was precariously gripping the side of the boat, struggling to keep a good hold. Her legs were in the water, and it looked like she was about to... Tifa leaned further and caught her by her wrists. "Hold on!" she exclaimed.  
  
Rikku looked up. "Thanks," she said slightly sheepishly. "I'd hate to explain to Yuffie why I had to swim to Rocket Town... actually come to think of it, I don't even know which direction Rocket Town is in..."  
  
"You know Yuffie?" Tifa questioned. Her arms protested the conversation. "Let's get you pulled up -"  
  
"If you don't mind, could you wait a sec?" Rikku asked. "I'm getting a really bad feeling from the deck right now."  
  
********************************************  
  
Sephiroth stopped walking by the crate that Tifa had been sitting on. The deck was empty with the exception of one seasick passenger. He could just see her legs and butt from where she was leaning over the railing.  
  
He sighed and sat down abruptly. He needed to get his materia back. Then he needed to destroy everything quickly. It wasn't right to allow his thoughts to linger on the blond blitzer.  
  
He raised his hands to his lips, fingering them gently. Her mouth had been soft and appealing against his. Their brief kiss kept lingering in his mind. Finding himself zoning out again, he cursed aloud and stood up abruptly.  
  
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It was past time to kill the girl. If he hadn't gotten stupid in the bathroom, the materia would already be his... and Meteor would already be on it's way.   
  
Frustrated at his mishap, he headed back to his cabin.  
  
***********************************************  
  
"Okay, anytime that you're ready!" Rikku exclaimed. "Give me the signal and I'll help pull myself up."  
  
Tifa nodded. "On three then?" she suggested. "One... two... three...and pull!" She shifted her weight back, hauling the blond girl onto the deck. At the same time, Rikku found a purchase with her feet and propelled herself upwards.  
  
They both dropped to the deck wearily. "My arms... hurt!" Rikku exclaimed. "The next time that Sephy shows up... I'm just going to whallop him! That was... phew.. not fun."  
  
Tifa moved to a sitting position. "Yuffie isn't here, is she?"  
  
"Yeah, she's in the cabin being sick," Rikku said. "I'm Rikku bein-Cid... from Spira. I play for the Wutai Ninjas -" she cut herself off with a shake of her head. "I guess you don't really need my profile, do you?"  
  
"Tifa Lockheart -"  
  
"Oh, good!" Rikku chirped. She sprang to her feet, dragging Tifa with her. "We thought that you were in Midgar. Let's go talk to Yuffie."   
  
"Huh?" Tifa asked in confusion. Things didn't look like they were going to stay boring for very long. "Hey, Rikku, right? Slow down a bit, you're pulling my arm out of it's socket!"  
  
Rikku slowed. "Sorry, but we kinda don't want to get caught. I just found out that Sephy is on board. He could be prowling anywhere and we need to get someplace safer quickly." She tilted her head to the side. "That is, Sephiroth is on board. I think that you might know who he is. I'll explain everything that I can when we're in our cabin, okay?"  
  
Tifa nodded silently. Her hand drifted to her small travel bag and pulled out her gloved claw complete with her materia. If Sephiroth was on board, then she needed to be armed.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
Yuffie debated throwing up again. Her stomach was in a foul twist of knots and was sloshing around mercilessly. Her face felt green - which was difficult, since a person couldn't really feel a color. She moaned and cast her dark gaze around the room, searching for something that wasn't rocking.  
  
Her eyes feel on the door. It looked pretty stable... just a hint of rocking around the edges. Then it opened. Her eyes tracked two people come into the room, but watching them made her stomach lurch upward. She felt bilge build at the back of her throat and threw up on a half full pail of barf.  
  
"Uhg...." she moaned.  
  
  
  
"Hiya, Yuffie, I found Tifa and Sephiroth.. hereafter referred to as Sephy... is on board too!" Rikku exclaimed. She closed the door and flopped down on the bed, gesturing for Tifa to take a seat.   
  
Tifa sat down. "Are you sure that it's Sephiroth?" she asked immediately. She flexed her hand inside her glove and looked down. "Because I could have swear that we killed him three years ago."  
  
"You did," Rikku said bluntly. "But that didn't mean that his spirit was sent to the Farplane... or rather, as you put it here on the Planet, dispersed into the Lifestream. He's what is called a wandering Unsent."  
  
"Meaning?" Tifa asked, surprising herself with how calm she felt.  
  
"Meaning that he's just like he was when he was alive... only dead. He needs a couple of things to happen to him. First, he needs to be beaten. You can't kill the dead, so from there, we need to Send him while he's too weak to resist. For that, we need a Summoner."  
  
Tifa tilted her head to the side. "Like High Summoner Yuna from Spira?" Unlike Yuffie, she already knew a lot about Spira. Midgar was the city that was visited most often by travelers from Spira. A decent number of the travelers usually ended up sitting in her bar drinking. And one thing about drunks was that they liked to talk... loud and about everything.   
  
"Yeah, I didn't think you knew what a Summener was," Rikku confessed. She sounded put off with the sudden uselessness of her information.  
  
"Well, continue," Tifa prompted. "We need to Send him using a Summoner's help, right? That means that we're traveling to Spira to try and get one of them to help."  
  
"Not... urk... one, Yuna," Yuffie grunted. "S'up, Tifa," she added. She turned her head away from the conversation and went back to her puke bucket.  
  
"The High Summoner?" Tifa asked. "Will she help?"  
  
"You've heard about Yunie, but not about me?" Rikku said with a pouty face. "I was there too, you know! I was one of Yunie's guardians."  
  
"But aren't you an Al Bhed?" Tifa asked with a confused look. "I didn't think that the Al Bhed approved of a summoner's pilgrimage."  
  
"We don't, but..." she shrugged. "Yuna's my cousin, so I wanted to protect her any way that I could." She pushed a strand of hair back and shrugged. "I know that Yunie will help with Sephy..." She sighed, fingering her lips lightly. "Wonder how she'll react when she learns he kissed me..."  
  
Tifa shot to her feet. "Sephiroth kissed you!" she blurted out loudly. "Why? How? Why?!"  
  
Yuffie chuckled meekly from where she was crumpled on the floor. "That's what I... urk..." She abandoned the conversation and went back to looking pale on the floor.  
  
"Hell if I know!" Rikku said, face slightly red. "It kinda bites through... that was my first kiss and I thought I was going to die. I was too scared to really ... feel it." She made a face. "Nasty guy!"  
  
"Nasty guy?" Tifa repeated stupidly.  
  
"Sephy," Rikku clarified. "Anyway, how would you feel if you were kissed by a dead guy and it was your first kiss ever? Not very happy, I'll tell you that!"  
  
Tifa nodded. "So, Sephiroth is alive." She sat back down, deeply lost in thought. "I wonder if he's still trying to Summon Meteor..."  
  
"Probably," Rikku and Yuffie said at the same time. They exchanged a quick look.  
  
"Should we?" Yuffie asked, managing to right her stomach for a moment.  
  
"She's your friend. You decided the trust issue," Rikku objected. "I'll go with you whatever you choose, you know. Friends trust the instincts of other friends."  
  
"Ugh..." Yuffie replied. She stuck her head over the bucket and barfed again.   
  
Silence reigned in the room. Tifa wasn't sure what either of them were talking about, but she had faith that Yuffie would bring her in as soon as her stomach felt better. She was friends with the ninja girl after all.  
  
"Let's not say any - urk - thing," Yuffie groaned from the floor.  
  
Tifa felt a stab of surprise. Yuffie wasn't going to tell her what they were talking about? She didn't trust her enough to reveal some possibly crucial part to the puzzle? Following behind the surprise was a strong feeling of betrayal.   
  
"Tifa?" Rikku called out. "Look."   
  
Tifa turned, determined not to show how much she was hurt. In the palm of the Al Bhed girl's hand was a smooth black stone. "What?" she asked, her eyes telling her that she had seen it before, but her mind refusing to tell her what it was.  
  
Rikku reached out with her other hand and tapped one of Tifa's materia lightly. "We don't want to chance him overhearing that it's here, so don't say it's name."  
  
Tifa nodded slowly, finally recognizing the Black Materia. "So he is," she said, closing her eyes. Mingling with the shock at seeing the Black Materia, she felt relief that Yuffie hadn't decided to keep things a secrete from her. "Sorry, Yuffie," she said, placing one hand on her seasick friend.  
  
"Huh?" Yuffie managed.  
  
"For what?" Rikku finished the older girl's question.  
  
"For not believing that you would trust me," Tifa answered.  
  
Yuffie made a sick face and groaned. "Rikku...." she grunted.  
  
Rikku grinned. "She knew that you'd react that way. She was just tugging on you chain. Will she never grow up?" she put a hint of mock seriousness into her voice.   
  
Tifa frowned playfully. "Yuffie, that isn't very nice."  
  
"OOOOohhhhh!" Rikku exclaimed before the ninja could attempt a response. "Did you bring your PHS... how about Yuffie's unit?" A wide grin stretched across her face. "If you did, then we can call all of your cronies and have a whole ton of help with Sephy!"  
  
"Yeah!" Yuffie exclaimed springing from the floor and hi-fived Rikku. "We can buzz Cid and have him pick us up, swing by North Corral and snag Barret, call Vinny and see where he is then pick -"  
  
"I left them in Midgar," Tifa said. "Sorry."  
  
"Cid's got PMS!" Yuffie declared. "So the plan still works!" She flopped back to the floor. "Now let me be sick in peace."  
  
Tifa and Rikku glanced at each other. "Is Cid a girl?" Rikku asked carefully.  
  
Tifa silently shook her head, a smile filtering across her face.  
  
"I didn't think so... I've never met a guy who experience 'that' before..." Rikku murmured. She tried to keep a straight face.  
  
Tifa tried to keep a straight face too. Both of them failed and burst out laughing. "Yuffie, you're killing me," Rikku gasped.  
  
"I didn't mean to..." Yuffie managed to say before throwing up again.  
  
Rikku, still grinning, turned to Tifa. "We should probably get some rest before we arrive at shore."  
  
"I'll stand watch first," the dark haired woman responded.  
  
"Okay," Rikku agreed. She climbed into her bunk and was asleep almost instantly. Something about nearly running into Sephiroth was exausting. It made her feel weary and old. It made her scared, which in turn pissed her off. Why was she afraid of him? He was only an Unsent, after all.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Author's notes;And here's Tifa's debut to Wutai Ninjas. She going to travel with Yuffie and Rikku from here on out.  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	8. Rocket Town

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
***********************************  
  
Chapter seven;Rocket Town  
  
************************************  
  
They waited a long time after the boat stopped. In fact, they waited so long that they were kicked off by an irritated sailor.   
  
"Rocket Town isn't too far from here," Tifa announced once they were on shore. "We should be there before nightfall-" her voice died abruptly when she noticed neither Yuffie nor Rikku appeared to be paying attention.  
  
"We're finally on dry land again!" Yuffie exclaimed happily. "Oh seasickness, if I never experience you again, it'll be waaaaaaaaay to soon!"  
  
"Sephy's gone! Sephy's gone! La la la la la laaaaaa!" Rikku sang. She grabbed Yuffie's hands the they turned several circles before realizing that Tifa was watching them.  
  
"What?" Rikku demanded. "Do you know what it feels like to know that a sociopath is within 200 feet of you? One that you also happen to know is looking for you? And who even went so far as to kiss you?  
  
"I hate traveling on boats in the sky and in the water. I deserve to celebrate," Yuffie explained. "For surviving... and willingly climbing on board.  
  
"Right..." Tifa said quickly clearing her throat and shaking her head. "I was just noticing how calm you two appear to be even with Sephiroth pursuing us."  
  
"Ain't nothing to be done about him yet," Rikku explained with a shrug. "We just gotta keep moving, you know."  
  
"Hopefully Cid'll be in Rocket Town so we can get to Spira ASAP," Yuffie added. "Otherwise we'll end up hoofing it. Now, which way do we have to go from here?" She looked around, shading her eyes and looking back towards Wutai. "Not there... we'd need a boat for that.  
  
"Towards the smoke?" Rikku suggested.  
  
"Smoke...?" Tifa murmured. She turned, shading her eyes against the setting sun. A large plume of black smoke was drifting lazily into the air right in the vicinity of Rocket Town. "Yeah, that's where the town is."  
  
"Well then hurry!" Yuffie exclaimed. "There might be trouble!"  
  
"You mean they don't have bonfires often?" Rikku inquired lightly. "I wonder what's going on..." her voice trailed off and she tried to think of what might be happening in Rocket Town.  
  
"Sephiroth!" all three of them exclaimed at the same time, coming to the same conclusion.   
  
"What!" came the almost instantaneous reply.  
  
They turned slowly - almost reluctantly towards the voice. Standing with his back towards them was the familiar silver haired figure of Sephiroth. And judging by his body posture, he wasn't in a good mood.  
  
"Nothing," Yuffie squeaked. She grabbed Rikku by her arm. "Let's get the hell out of here," she said in a hissed whisper.  
  
Rikku nodded silently.  
  
"If it's nothing, then don't go shouting my name. I've got a lot of things on my mind," Sephiroth said with a sigh. He strolled away from them, completely lost in thought. He didn't look back.  
  
He was feeling rather lost. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with him besides being dead. The girl who had his materia knew that he was dead... he knew that much. Maybe... just maybe he should head to Luca and kidnap the High Summoner after all.   
  
Not for Seymour though.... The girl was an Al Bhed and they were all from Spira. That meant that she would have some feelings of loyalty to the High Summoner. He could lure her to him using the summoner. Then he could kill them both and take back his materia...  
  
*******************************  
  
Tifa blinked in surprise, but didn't say anything. If Sephiroth wasn't going to approach them they were probably better off not engaging him. All three of them were firmly placed in the lightweight category. They had quick attacks, but were definitely lacking in power. That meant that they couldn't really win.  
  
"Let's go," she murmured. She started towards the plume of smoke at a brisk pace. Yuffie and Rikku bounced after her. "That wasn't really expected, was it?" Tifa asked when they were a safe distance from the small docks.  
  
"A little bit too close and unexpected!" Rikku exclaimed. "I'm so glad that he didn't turn around. And... I guess I'm a little confused too," she confessed.  
  
"We really should have expected something like that, you know," Yuffie announced. "We didn't wait on the ship long enough for Sephiroth to make it to Rocket Town and send up plumes of smoke. That means that someone else is causing trouble -"  
  
"Confused about what?" Tifa asked, overriding Yuffie's conclusions.  
  
"I suppose you're right," Rikku agreed with Yuffie. "But still, maybe there isn't any trouble at all. It could just be a machina fire. They put off a lot of smoke when you burn them."  
  
"Machina.... those are machines, right?" Yuffie inquired. "I don't think that they would be burning any machina in Rocket Town."  
  
"Maybe it was an accidental fire," Rikku suggested.  
  
"I guess it's possible," Yuffie agreed. "But we won't really know until we get there, right Tifa?" she turned to the taller woman.  
  
Tifa shook her head. "You guys are... unbelievable. Anyway, even if it is an accidental fire, that still could be trouble if it gets out of control." She brushed her hair over her shoulder in a smooth motion. "Rikku, I'd still like to know why you're confused."  
  
"Confused?" Rikku asked, cocking her head to the side. "Oh... Sephy...." She shrugged lightly. "It's just that up until that point, I got really ill when he was around. You know, stomach cramps, odd chills...."  
  
"That's weird," Tifa said. "Have you ever felt like that before?"  
  
"Nope!" Rikku said. "But enough chit-chat. We got fiend... er ... monster problems."  
  
"Right," Tifa agreed. She clenched her fist tighter inside her gloved claw. "I'll take the one on the left -"  
  
"Too late!" Yuffie shouted. "His A$$ is mine!" She flung her conformer in a deadly arc, slashing through the monster standing in their path.  
  
"Let's tag team the other," Rikku murmured to Tifa. "You go high, and I'll go low!"  
  
"Right!" Tifa agreed.  
  
******************************************  
  
Rocket Town was in a state of disarray when the three young women arrived. Buildings were burning freely and there were people running everywhere. Bodies littered the streets indiscriminately.  
  
"What...?" Tifa exclaimed. Images of Nibelhiem's burning flashing through her mind. She knelt down beside one of the bodies. "ShinRa!" she said after a moment.  
  
"Huh?" Yuffie asked. "What do you mean?" She looked closer. "It's their uniform," she agreed. "But what are they doing?"  
  
"We should find Cid," Tifa said, standing abruptly. "I'll check that building," she nodded her head straight towards Cid's house.  
  
Yuffie nodded. "I'll check the pub... Rikku, why don't you look in those shops over there? Help anyone who is in trouble -"  
  
"Goes without saying," Rikku said with a slight nod of her head. Things in Rocket Town were reminding her of the carnage the Guado had inflicted when they attacked Home.   
  
***********************************  
  
Tifa pushed open the door, covering her nose and mouth with a piece of white cloth. "CID!" she shouted. She moved through the house, gingerly kicking open burning door. Everything was encased in flames, but there didn't seem to be any people inside.  
  
"CID, where are you?" she demanded. She pushed through the door leading out back to where the Tiny Bronco had once stood. Burning grass and crates created a searing wall of flame.  
  
Tifa shook her head sadly. It was going to take a long time for Rocket Town to recover from the fire. She turned, ready to go back into the house and back to the main street. Hopefully the other girls had better luck.  
  
"Tifa!" she heard a voice shout. "Is that you?" A hacking cough followed the voice. "Please.... help!"  
  
Tifa spun, hair whipping around and catching fire. She patted it out quickly, cringing inwardly at the burnt ends. "Shera, is that you?" she asked. "Where are you? I'm coming."  
  
"By the cough fence," Shera hacked. "Is Cid ... with you?"  
  
"No," Tifa said, trying to keep her voice steady. The fire in the backyard seemed to be burning fiercer then inside the wooden frame house. And that wasn't making any sense.   
  
"They cough, cough coated the area around me with cough, cough..." Shera gasped. "And Cid -" her voice cut off abruptly with another hacking fit.   
  
Tifa took a couple of steps back. "I'm coming!" she shouted and raced foreword. When she reached the hottest flames - the ones that singed her legs as she tried to move through them - she vaulted her lithe body into the air. Legs and arms pumping, she tried to make it over all of the flames.  
  
Only things didn't happen like she had hoped. About halfway across, she heard the crack of a gun and felt a sudden pain in her chest. Her jump became more of a fall and she hit the ground amidst a sea of flames.   
  
She didn't have much time to think. Her mind was already going into shock with the combined efforts of flame and the bullet wound. She had just enough thoughts to change her materia. Moving the green magic materia, fire from her weapon to her defensive item. Then she passed out.  
  
Moments later, she revived. The flames still danced orange hot around her body. Tifa sighed, not moving for a long moment. There were times that you really appreciated the Planet for everything that it's precious Mako energy released. And then there were times you thanked ShinRa for harnessing that power into materia. This was one of those times.  
  
With her Fire Materia firmly slotted, she was getting a Fire-Eater effect. Meaning that with the constant burning flames, the wound on her chest was almost completely healed. She fingered the bloody hole in the front of her white top tenderly.  
  
"TIFA!" she heard Shera screaming. "Are you all right -"  
  
"She's dead, better worry about yourself, honey," a masculine voice laughed.  
  
"Ahhhhh! Don't touch me!" Shera wailed. "CID HELP!"  
  
Tifa rolled to her feet. "Who's dead?" she asked sweetly, moving foreword with a deadly look in her usually kind brown eyes. "Beat Rush.... followed by a Dolphin's blow...." she murmured to herself as she performed the deadly combo on the worthless ShinRa scrum standing in front of her.  
  
Only he didn't go down. "Ha ha ha!" he laughed. "I've been augmented by the latest ShinRa technology. My body is immune to physical attacks... but it dishes them out pretty well."  
  
He followed his little speech up with a heavy ham sized fist that smashed Tifa back several feet. She shook her head, seeing stars and wishing that she didn't.  
  
If he was immune to physical attacks, then what she needed was magic. She stepped back, focusing on the materia stones in her glove. She would use Ultima on him. The powerful spell should shut him up pretty quick.  
  
CRACK! came the wet and sickly sound from her ribs as his foot smashed into her, sending her reeling back into the healing flames. Tifa grunted. He hadn't given her a chance to cast.   
  
"Foolish little girl!" he taunted, shoving her back down to the ground. "Even if you had gotten your spell off, it would be useless. My body absorbs magic!" He let loose another peel of horrid laughter.  
  
Standing seven feet tall, he looked like a towering mass of muscle from where Tifa was pinned to the ground. Then he pulled a wickedly curved blade. "You seem to be eating the flames. Let's see the same trick when I cut your pretty head from your shoulders." He licked the blade and laughed.   
  
Tifa closed her eyes, focusing her energy into another materia - a summon materia. Knights of the Round to be precise. Hopefully their combined attack would be enough to buy her some time.   
  
*****************************************  
  
Rikku pushed open the door slowly and then stopped, springing backwards and a burning man came rushing from the building. "Drop and roll," she ordered. "It'll smother the flames."  
  
The man, clearly in agony, obeyed instantly, hitting the cobblestone streets with a thud.   
  
Rikku pulled out a Hi-Potion and tossed it over him before entering the building. Inside, it was burning poorly. Heavy smoke seemed to be the biggest problem. Her nose twitched, scenting the familiar stench of burning oil.  
  
"Yuck..." she murmured. "Hey, is there anybody in here?" she called out. She heard the cocking of a gun. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm -"  
  
BANG! A shot rang out, narrowly missing her head. Rikku watched a couple strands of blond hair drift towards the ground. "HEY!" she protested, throwing herself to the side and down to avoid the next shot. "No fair, I can't even see you!"  
  
She rolled behind a topple shelf.   
  
Flames leapt out of the smoke shrouded darkness. Rikku twisted out of the way, feeling her butt get scorched as she didn't move fast enough.   
  
"She ain't important," a confident voice announced. "We did what we were ordered to."  
  
"Reno?" a woman's voice came. "Are those... tears?"  
  
"I burned down a bar, what the hell do you think, Elena?" Reno snapped.   
  
"We're not to leave anyone alive -" Elena fumed.  
  
Rikku stood up, pulling her goggles up from around her neck. They had a nice infared feature that was helpful in avoiding underwater fiends... not to mention keeping track of your fellow explorers. Right now they showed two hot bodies arguing several feet away from her and a third right in front of her bringing down a fist.  
  
"Ahh!" she shouted in surprise, not moving quick enough to avoid the blow completely. She tasted blood on the corner of her mouth and quickly retaliated with her claw.  
  
It cut through the fabric of her assailants suit and gouged out a good sized chunk of skin.   
  
Now it was Rude's turn to grunt with pain. Reno and Elena turned as one. "Rude?" Reno inquired, tossing a healing potion towards the big man.  
  
Rikku sprang foreword, putting her agility to good work and snagging the potion out of mid-air, using it on herself. "What are you doing in Rocket Town?" she demanded, falling into a fighting stance, taking special care not to let Elena have a clear shot at her.  
  
Reno scratched his head lightly. "Supervising it's destruction," he said with a small shrug. "What did it look like we were doing?"  
  
"I think you should leave now," Rikku said with a small shrug of her own.   
  
"You're the one that's outnumbered. Maybe you should leave," Elena suggested, maneuvering for a shot.  
  
Rikku circled slowly, trying to keep all three in her sights.  
  
"It's just a girl," Reno said. "I don't feel like busting her up. Let's go," he ordered. "We're not getting paid anything special for killing her."  
  
"But -" Elena protested as the two men started out of the building.   
  
"You should come," Reno suggested. "I'd hate to be in town when everything goes Boom!"  
  
Elena glowered at Rikku. "I'd deal with you myself if I had more time," she snapped. "But seeing as I don't... I'll let you die with the rest of this miserable place." She backed out of the door and opened fire.  
  
"What the hell -" Reno's voice came for a second with mild irritation tingeing it. Then there was silence followed by a soft rumble as the entrance caved in.  
  
Rikku froze, resisting the urge to cough. The building was full of deadly fumes and she didn't know how to customize her equipment to eat deadly gasses.  
  
She looked around the room. There had to be another way out, didn't there? She started searching, refusing to give into panic. She picked her way over overturned shelves and shattered glass. A few fires smoldered inside the room, pouring out abnormal amounts of smoke.   
  
"Maybe if I put them out," she murmured to herself. She started towards one fire when a flicker of ruby light caught her attention. She turned slowly, pushing her goggles around her neck and kneeling down. 1:03 the red numbers read. It was a timer and it was connected to the most deadly and carefully pieced together bomb that Rikku had ever seen.  
  
************************************  
  
Yuffie turned around the pub once. Several people stood huddled in a corner and a couple of ShinRa officers were holding them at gun point. "Our orders are to kill each and every one of you. But first, tell us where the captain is."  
  
"Scumbag!" one of the people shouted.  
  
The ShinRa men opened fire. Yuffie whipped her Conformer at them at the same instant, making most of their shots miss. Several people screamed in pain and terror.   
  
"Who the hell are you?" one of the guards snapped.  
  
"What?" Yuffie gasped. "Haven't you heard of the Great Ninja Yuffie? A girl so pretty and talented -"  
  
"Aren't you with Strife's group?" one of the men suggested.  
  
"I've never heard of her," another answered.  
  
"Who are you again?"  
  
"I don't think that she's anyone really important -"  
  
"Enough!" Yuffie snarled. "What are you doing here!" She snapped her Conformer to an offensive position and whipped it towards them with deadly accuracy. One man fell and didn't get up again. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Get her!" they shouted in response. "Great Ninja Yuckie, you're going down!"  
  
"It's Yuffie!" she raged, easily evading their attacks. She attacked several more times, defeating her opponents in one shot each. "You guys don's stand a chance, give it up!" she declared. There were only two guards left and both of them were cowering in a corner.  
  
"Yes ma'am," they both stammered. They dropped their guns and held up their hands.  
  
Yuffie glowed. She had forced them into submission. "Good, now tell me what you're doing in Rocket Town."  
  
"We don't know much..." the first guy started.  
  
"We're supposed to kill Cid Highwind... reclaim his airship -"  
  
"And destroy the town for defying ShinRa rule," the first guy finished. "That's all we know. Honest!"  
  
"Heh heh, and that's all you get to know. You are Yuffie Kisagari. You are dead!" a beefy voice chuckled from behind her.  
  
Yuffie turned slowly. The biggest, stupidest guy she had ever seen stood with a wide grin on his face. "You die now," he told her. He rotated his head, spinning it in a complete circle. As his face came to face her again, his tongue shot out of his mouth, turning out to be over three feet long. It wrapped around the ninjas throat and jerked her foreword, pulling her head right into his dopey looking mouth.  
  
  
  
A mouth that Yuffie was quick to notice was full of extremely foul smells and millions of jagged little teeth.  
  
*********************************  
  
Author's notes;Time to leave Sephy alone for a while and focus on ShinRa's new evil scheme. Revenge.   
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	9. Threat eliminated

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
*************************************  
  
Chapter eight;Threat eliminated.  
  
***********************  
  
"Yuck!" Yuffie managed to exclaim, kneeing the big, dopey man in the groin as hard as she could. He opened his large mouth, letting loose a howl of pain which the ninja ignored. She head felt wet and sticky and she had a strong suspicion that the foul odor lingering in the air was in part coming from her head.  
  
"I's too strong. You die. This time I chomp right away. Heh. heh," the man grunted. "You die. Yay! You die."  
  
"Sorry, I got other plans," Yuffie said, twisting away from his clumsy grasp. "I won't let you get close enough to chomp me again." She sprang straight up into the air, snapping a sharp kick at the large man's head as he tried to tackle her and stuff her head in his mouth.  
  
"Ow, Kisagari kick head. Now me mad!" he announced. He turned with surprising quickness and almost caught her by the back of her neck.   
  
"Too slow," Yuffie mocked, knowing that it had been a near miss. She flung her Conformer towards her assailant. The deadly shuriken lodged itself firmly in the man's throat with no apparent effect.   
  
"Heh, heh, me immune," the man chuckled stupidly.  
  
"Dumb A$$," Yuffie retorted. "If I can't beat you one way... I'll just kill you another way." She smiled and sprang out of his grasp effortlessly once more. Then she focused on her materia.  
  
A warm glow seemed to spread throughout her mind. She felt heat licking at her consciousness - the forming of a Fire 3 spell in her crafty mind. "Got you," she said with a sly smile. She cast, watching the flames spring up around him and scorch with devastating heat.   
  
"Burning no good."  
  
"That's nice to know," Yuffie answered. "You one of Hojo's pieces?"  
  
"Huh?" the man stopped lumbering around the room trying to catch her. "I no piece. I deadly assassin."  
  
"Sure you are," Yuffie said with a snort. "That's why I'm still standing, right?" His thick, long tongue leapt from his mouth towards her body again. This time she was prepared. Armed once again with her Conformer, she cut through the wet, sticky mass of flesh with a heavy downward motion.  
  
His tongue fell to the floor with a wet plop and didn't move. Yuffie didn't bother probing it with her foot. Instead, she focused on her materia again, calling another Fire 3 spell to life. The flames came alive around the tongue, burning it to ashes. "And everything has a weakness," Yuffie said with a small smile. "I'm going to cut you up and burn you to ashes."  
  
In response, he spun his head around in a circle and reached for her with a vacant expression in his glassy eyes.  
  
"No good," Yuffie told him candidly. "You don't stand a chance. You're too slow."  
  
"The rest of them aren't," a coughing voice rasped from the doorway. "They destroyed the Highwind...*(%^&(&!"  
  
Yuffie didn't take her eyes off of her opponent. "What's going on Cid?" she asked the aging pilot carefully. "Who are these guys?"  
  
Cid flipped his spear into an attack position. "Later," he said. "I'll help."  
  
Yuffie shrugged. "You cut. I'll burn," she suggested. She stepped back, focusing on her materia. "Whenever you're ready."  
  
"I'm ready now," Cid said in a soft dangerous voice. And the big man just kept smiling.  
  
**********************************  
  
They came. The Knights of the Round. One of the single most powerful Summons possible. The twelve knights slashed through the towering muscle man, cutting him into pieces that were quickly devoured by the flames.  
  
Reappearing after they were gone, Tifa spent a moment watching the burning. She was surprised that it had worked at all. She had been afraid that the man would prove to be invincible, but that wasn't the case at all.  
  
"Tifa? Are you okay? TIFA!" Shera shouted, drawing the young woman away from the burning corpse.  
  
She arrived at where the mechanic was. "Are you okay?" she asked, crouching down.  
  
Shera shook her head. "No... my ankle is busted..."  
  
"Let me see," Tifa said softly. She felt along the ankle with an expert touch, feeling the break in the bone gently.  
  
Shera hissed in pain. "That hurts!" she hissed.  
  
"It's broken," Tifa acknowledged. "But, thankfully I have Restore materia. She slotted the appropriate green orb, removing the Steal command ability. She didn't dare take Knights of the Round or Fire off. Focusing on the green orb, she drew out the restorative spell and cast it on the mechanic. "Good as new," she proclaimed.  
  
"We have to get everyone out of town right away!" Shera exclaimed, getting to her feet slowly. "The ShinRa have placed bombs all over the city and timed them to go off right about now."  
  
Tifa stood up. "ShinRa..." she murmured softly. "Why won't the past stay where we put it?" she murmured. "First Sephiroth... now this..." One thing was certain, she was glad that she had decided to visit Yuffie first.   
  
Shera was already making her way through the flames at a dead sprint. When she hit the burning doorframe of the house, she shot through like a bolt of lightning. Tifa felt confident that she could hear the front door slamming as Shera shot through it.  
  
Not wanting to waste anymore time - or travel through anymore burning buildings for a while - Tifa opted to vault the burning fence and land in the heated, cobblestone street.   
  
Shera had already drawn a decent sized crowd around her. "We have to evacuate Rocket Town!" she shouted. "The ShinRa have placed bombs everywhere. We have to get out of here!"  
  
A couple soot covered people started nodding. They began racing towards the road leading out of town. Everything was silent, none of them were speaking. It was a silent escape with their lives. Everything they owned... everything that they ever hoped or dreamed about was burning to the ground, but at least their lives were intact.  
  
"Tifa!" Shera shouted. "We need to find Cid!"  
  
The dark hair woman nodded. "Of course, where was the last place that you seen him?"  
  
"By the Rocket Launch Pad.... the Highwind's berth!" Shera said. She coughed again and swayed slightly as a smoke induced dizzy spell took effect on her.  
  
Tifa put a hand on her back. "Get clear of town. I'll go get Cid."  
  
"Thank-you," Shera murmured. "But all the same, I'm coming with you. I won't abandon Cid. Not now, not ever."  
  
Tifa sniffed slightly. "You're a good woman, Shera," she told the older woman. They hurried towards the Rocket Launch Pad.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The stupid looking attacker lay dead on the floor. "Nice work!" Yuffie exclaimed to an angry looking Cid. "We won!"  
  
Cid spit on the burning corpse. "(*&^($*^^, they blew up my (^(^$#%^ ship!" he snapped. "And Shera!" Suddenly his blue eyes went wide. "Where the hell is she!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Maybe she's at your house," Yuffie suggested. "Tifa's there, so she should be all right. Let's just see if -"  
  
"If anything happens to her..." Cid moaned, falling to the floor. "It'll all be my fault."  
  
Yuffie ignored him and his attempt at guilt ridden behavior. "And we're off!" she exclaimed. She grabbed him by his arm and bounced out the door, dragging him with her. "We have to save as many -"  
  
"Get out of town!" Shera shouted at her. "Everything's going to explode in two minutes!"  
  
"Two minutes? That's all we have left?" Tifa demanded in horror. "We'll never make it, we have to leave now!"  
  
"Not until I find -"  
  
"Shera, get your *&$^$(^ ass out of town now!" Cid bellowed. "Tifa," he nodded his head to her and spoke in quieter tones.  
  
They started out of town rapidly. "Where's Rikku?" Yuffie asked, mind flickering to her blond friend.   
  
"No time!" Cid shouted, not knowing what she was talking about. "We gotta clear town now!" He picked her up and hefted her squirming form over his shoulder. "We leave now!"  
  
"Wait! Rikku could still be here! She could be fighting one of those.... things! We can't leave without her! Cid, put me down, or else!"  
  
But the aged pilot didn't respond. He kept going, Shera right at his side.  
  
Tifa whirled and started back into Rocket Town. There wasn't any time, but she couldn't leave a friend behind. Reaching the building that Rikku had decided to search, she noticed that the entrance had collapsed.   
  
"Rikku, are you in there?!" she shouted. She stepped back into a fighting stance and launched herself at the rumble, smashing through a good portion with her foot. All around, the flames burned brighter, unchecked and feeding greedily on the wooden homes of Rocket Town.  
  
And somewhere in her head, Tifa's mental countdown reached zero.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Rikku felt sweat trickling down her spine. Her hands, in spite of the heat from the smoldering flames, felt cold and clammy. And damp, they were soaked with sweat and trembling.  
  
She had never worked with bombs before. Mech scouts, defenders.... she could fight them - they didn't go BOOM if you pulled the wrong part out. Bombs did and subsequently, she had avoided dealing with them beyond the most simple cluster bomb and hand held grenade.  
  
The numbers on the timer were ticking down without consideration to her inexperience. Rikku rapidly examined the wires, looking carefully where each one was connected. "Red and gold go to internal charge," she murmured. "Green and silver seem to be going to an outside connection.... probably more bombs. Black is...." her voice trailed off. "Why is black even here!" she snarled, wiping her forehead with the back on her hand.  
  
The timer had hit thirty seconds. Rikku's panic level raised itself another notch. She breathing became tenser and more strained. Her muscles felt tight and uncooperative. Sweat was rolling into her eyes. A roaring void filled her ears, blocking out all other sounds with terror.  
  
Her fingers trembled over one wire and then the next. Black, red, gold, silver, green.... and white - she mentally ticked off the wires, discovering one more in the process. Pulling them all would most likely result in an explosion. Pulling the wrong on would result in an explosion. But she suspected pulling just one wouldn't be enough. At least three of the wires needed to go, but which ones?  
  
Her swirled pupils as wide as possible, she made up her mind as the timer hit 5 seconds. Even if she pulled the wrong ones, she had to try. There were still people in the town - Tifa and Yuffie being the only ones that she knew. If she didn't take action, they would die. However, by making a move, there was a chance, no matter how slim, that everyone would be saved. That chance had to be taken.  
  
"Red, gold, and black," she murmured, carefully hooking a tiny knife under all three wires. "On three...." she mumbled, but stopped seeing that only three seconds remained.  
  
Without any more hesitation, she flicked her wrist towards her body, severing the wires in one smooth motion. Her eyes fell onto the timer and it was still ticking. "Fail," she cursed the word softly and closed her eyes. Then the world exploded around her with the sudden return of sound.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Countdown at zero, Tifa smashed through the door, hoping that Rikku was inside. Thick clouds of black smoke poured out of the building, causing her to cough as she forced her way inside. A wave of suffocating heat pressed against her body, almost pushing her out, and sweat sprang up on her body without hesitation.  
  
"Rikku?" she coughed, waving her hand in front of her face to try and clear the smoke. Through the hazy air, she saw a dampened ruby glow. The timer's numbers were all set at zero, and sitting in front of it with an exhausted look on her face was the young Al Bhed girl.  
  
She face was glistening with sweat and covered in soot. Her head upturned towards the ceiling. Her blond hair was plastered to her head and she looked like hell. "Rikku!" Tifa shouted again. She crossed the room quickly, deftly avoiding the clutter and garbage littering the floor.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I failed," Rikku murmured in Al Bhed..  
  
"Failed?" Tifa inquired. She dropped to the balls of her feet beside the usually cheerful young girl. "How?"  
  
Rikku opened her eyes - which were almost pitch black with only the barest hint of emerald green. She tilted her head towards the timer. "I couldn't stop it - WAIT!" she shouted. She turned her face towards the timer, examining it with a quick scan. "It isn't going to go boom!" Her shoulders sagged wearily. "Damn, that was close."  
  
Tifa looked at the timer and then back at the limp Rikku. "Come on, we need to get out of here," she said, helping the other girl to her feet.   
  
"I thought I was dead and everyone else with me," Rikku announced.  
  
"I thought that both you and I were dead," Tifa confessed. "But everyone else evacuated town already so they wouldn't get blown sky high."  
  
"We still have to put out the fires," Rikku noted. "Maybe Water spells would help..."  
  
Tifa pulled her into the street. "We'll have to tell everyone that it's safe to come back -"  
  
"Not yet," Rikku murmured. "We need to find the other bombs and disconnect them. We don't want the heat from the flames to set them off."  
  
Tifa smiled. "You're not as irresponsible as you pretend to be," she informed Rikku.   
  
Rikku made a face, her strength returning now that she wasn't in the thick smoke anymore. "Don't tell anyone. My rep. would be permanently tarnished."  
  
"We'll keep it our little secrete," Tifa agreed.  
  
"Rikku! Tifa!" Yuffie shouted, halting any further conversation. "You're both all right!" The ninja flung her arms around both of them. "Stupid Cid hauling me off like that!"  
  
"It's probably best that he did. That way someone could have warned everyone about Sephy," Tifa said. "But all the same... we're not out of the fire yet. We need to find the other bombs and disconnect them before they go off on their own."  
  
"Let's split up," Rikku suggested.   
  
"That didn't work so well last time," Tifa said softly.  
  
"Sure it did!" Yuffie exclaimed. "But I don't know how to disconnect a bomb -"  
  
"I can handle it..... I think," Rikku gulped. "You have just got to keep it from getting to hot and I'll disconnect it."  
  
"Eh.... you don't sound really confident, you know," Yuffie announced. "But when your choices are limited...." She shrugged. "Besides, I have faith in you."  
  
"Glad someone does," Rikku muttered. She touched Tifa's shoulder lightly. "Thank-you. If you hadn't come, I would have probably died from inhaling to many fumes."  
  
Tifa shook her head. "You're stronger then that. You would have made it out."  
  
"Maybe, but then again, maybe not. I'm grateful," Rikku said. Then she headed off to find the remaining bombs.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
The fires out and the bombs all removed, the town had a shocked feel to it. People moved amongst the ashes of their former lives, searching for anything to hold onto. Partially blackened faces stared at the remains.  
  
Tifa, Yuffie, and Rikku were by the broken airship. Cid and Shera were both silently starring at the wreck. "So, what are you three doing?" he asked without preamble. His eyes didn't come off his ship for a second.  
  
"Sephiroth's alive," Tifa said. "We were hoping to use the Highwind."  
  
Cid whirled. "Alive? How?"  
  
Yuffie pointed to Rikku with a smirk.  
  
"She brought him back?" Cid snarled. "Of all the *&(%#^%)(*#^ crazy things to do! why the F***ing hell did you-"  
  
"I meant that she gets to explain it - again!" Yuffie exclaimed cheerfully. She turned to Rikku and grinned playfully. "So, what do you think?" she asked. "Ready to explain about Sent and Unsent again?"  
  
Several moments later, Cid was starring at the Highwind again. "I could get her running, but it would take too much %#$@ time." He sat down Indian style and muttered a foul curse.   
  
Silence fell over the group. Clearly they needed a new plan. They couldn't just fly to Luca anymore. That meant that they had to make the trip either on foot or by chocobo. And since they didn't have any chocobos....  
  
A ringing broke the silence. "What was that?" Rikku asked.  
  
  
  
"PHS," Tifa and Yuffie said at the same time.  
  
"What the &#$%& hell do you want?" Cid barked into the communication unit. Then he fell silent, listening to the voice at the other end.   
  
"Who was that?" Yuffie asked after the pilot hung up.  
  
"Barret," Cid responded. "Marlene's been kidnapped by ShinRa."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


	10. ShinRa Plans

Standard disclaimers apply.  
  
Chapter nine;ShinRa plans  
  
Tifa let the words sink in. The ShinRa had taken Marlene. They had taken the young girl that used to help her work her bar while they held AVALANCHE missions. "Who's in charge at ShinRa these days?" she asked softly.   
  
"How should I know?" Yuffie and Rikku responded at the same time. Both of them wore outraged expressions at the thought of someone being kidnapped; however neither of them really knew Marlene, so things weren't personal.  
  
Cid scratched his head. "The last that I heard it was a woman named Crimson." He snubbed out his cigarette and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Crimson?" Rikku asked with a slight giggle.  
  
"That's a dumb name," Yuffie agreed quietly.  
  
"Stop it!" Tifa exclaimed. "This is a serious matter. Marlene has been kidnapped. We have to get her back." She looked towards the fire ravaged ground, kicking a clump of burnt grass with the toe of her boot. "But where would they have taken her?"  
  
She turned the possibilities over in her mind. Midgar was where ShinRa's main base of operations was, but all the same, they might not have taken her there because of the chances of someone noticing. They were maintaining a legal front and probably wouldn't risk jeopardizing it until they were sure they could get away with being illegal.  
  
"Where did they take her?" she asked again, although she didn't really expect an answer.  
  
Rikku spoke up, "Why did they take her in the first place?"  
  
Tifa turned her head towards Cid, awaiting his response. It was a good question, but she had the feeling that they had kidnapped her for the sole purpose of having a hostage against Barret.  
  
"Will you all stop &&# at me?!" Cid demanded. "I don't have all the answers." Shera put a restraining hand on her arm. "Don't you #&% try and calm me down!" he snapped.  
  
"Hey!" Yuffie exclaimed. "You said that your father has an airship, right Rikku? So we could give him a call -"  
  
"Forget it, we're not on speaking terms. He attempted to arrange a marriage for me. That's not something that I'm really interested in, you know. Anyway, the best thing to do about Marlene would probably go back to the scene of the crime. Maybe we could pick up some clues there, ne?"  
  
"So that leaves the question of who's going and who's staying," Tifa said.  
  
"Why would anyone stay?" Yuffie asked. "I mean, we all want to save Marlene - oh, but what about Sephy?" Her baffled looked shifted slightly to one of extreme confusion. "What are we going to do about him?"  
  
"Ignore him," Tifa said at the same time that Rikku did. "We have what he needs to be dangerous, so we can afford to leave him alone for a while," Tifa added as an explanation.  
  
"What do you have?" Cid asked.  
  
"Well, I'm staying," Shera announced. "While you guys go and rescue Marlene, I'll start repairs on the Highwind. By the time you get back here, she'll be running twice as good as new."  
  
Cid spun, orientating on her. "What the -"  
  
She put her fingers to his mouth. "Now, why don't you start for North Coral? It'll be a long trip on foot, and you'll have to go without any supplies. I'll handle things here."  
  
"But -" Cid started to protest again.  
  
"That is unless you're too scared to go and fight ShinRa this time!" Yuffie giggled. She enjoyed teasing the others as much as possible, and this was a good opportunity. There was no way that she was going to pass it up.  
  
"Dammit!" Cid snarled. "That ain't it at all."  
  
"We know," Shera said soothingly. "You just feel like you should stay and help, but you're needed elsewhere right now. First to rescue Marlene... and then to take care of Sephiroth. I don't want you to go, but I realize," she swallowed hard, "that you must."  
  
Cid looked away from her. "Let's get going," he told the three girls. They started away from the Rocket Launch Pad, moving slowly through the burned streets.  
  
The sound of feet rapidly approaching from behind drew all three girls to a halt. They stopped, turning back to look at Shera.   
  
"Cid!" she called out. She caught him in a hug from behind. "Don't get killed. I'll miss you too much. Come back here... come back... to me..."  
  
Cid didn't respond. His face was tight with barely restrained emotion. "I'll be back, Shera," he whispered for her ears alone. Then, face cracking slightly, he spun, planting a firm kiss on her mouth. "Wait here for me," he said gruffly.   
  
"Let's go!" he added to Rikku, Tifa, and Yuffie.  
  
President Crimson twisted a long lock of golden blond hair around her finger for the millionth time. A classically beautiful woman, she wore an intense scowl on her face that deducted from the natural beauty. "What do you have to report?" she asked sourly.  
  
"Apparently the annihilation of Rocket Town was averted. The rebellious town was merely reduced to cinders and is already in the process of rebuilding," her aide informed her. "Also, both of Professor Hojo's experiments were... destroyed."  
  
"Cid Highwind destroyed both of them? We sent them because they would have been able to overwhelm him easily," Crimson snarled. She stood up and started pacing the room, red skirts swishing around her ankles.  
  
"Our reports indicate that Tifa Lockheart and Yuffie Kisagari were both present -" the aide murmured, acutely aware that he was going to be in trouble for delivering such an unfavorable report.  
  
Crimson stopped pacing, turning to face them with the dark scowl firmly etched on her features. "What about the abduction that Hojo asked for? Was it carried out accordingly?"  
  
The aide nodded quickly, grateful for the chance to give good news.  
  
"Then the leader of AVALANCHE is dead, destroyed, finally eliminated beyond a shadow of a doubt?"  
  
The aide winced. "Actually, we failed to -"  
  
"Failed! Why must you say that -" Before Crimson could finish her rant, the door burst open.  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!" A burly man wearing a emerald green uniform bellowed. "Guess what, Scarlet!" he said once he managed to restrain himself.  
  
"What," she asked sourly, picking up a gun from her desk and shooting the aide in the head. "Do you think you're doing? My name is Crimson from now on, Hiedgar, and you would do well to remember that. We can't have our secrete spilled just yet. Not when victory is so close."  
  
Hiedgar sobered slightly.   
  
"Well, what's the information that you have?" Scarlet demanded.   
  
"The Master of Spira, Lady Yuna herself, is planning a visit to Wutai at the end of the month," Hiedgar said with a chuckle.  
  
"Why?" Scarlet demanded. "That doesn't make any sense at all!"  
  
"She going to watch a blitzball game. Gya ha ha ha ha!" Hiedgar bellowed. He placed both hands on his sizable stomach. "She's only taking one bodyguard -"  
  
"Kya ha ha ha ha!" Scarlet burst out laughing. "What a fool! It'll be the perfect chance to kill her. And Hojo's new experiment with that child will make it impossible for Cloud's groupie to stop the attack. How could they hurt a child that they know? Even if she's going to assassinate the Master of Spira?"  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!"   
  
"Kya ha ha ha ha!"  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!"   
  
"Kya ha ha ha ha!"  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!"   
  
"Kya ha ha ha ha!"  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!"  
  
"But enough of that, I have a meeting to attend to," Scarlet announced, straightening her hair and smoothing out her dress. "And soon... we'll be filthy stinking rich!"  
  
"Gya ha ha ha ha!"   
  
"Kya ha ha ha ha!"  
  
"Would you two do something other then sit here and drink all day!" Elena demanded. "We have a mission to carry out - new orders! We're not off-duty right now!" The electric blond stalked over to her superiors with a uptight expression on her face.  
  
Reno licked his lips and set down an empty glass. "Relax, Elena," he urged. "Everything will turn out just fine, you'll see." He was upset about the interruption to his drinking, but there was noting that could be done about it. Getting mad wouldn't help, Elena was high-strung and hadn't learned the value of a little R&R yet.   
  
"But -" Elena began to sputter.  
  
"Relax," Reno repeated firmly. He flipped his auburn hair lightly and stood up, signaling for Rude to do the same. "Assassinations aren't exactly something that should be rushed."  
  
"But still!" Elena objected. "If we dally too long, then our target will get away! And we're not killing anyone - we're stealing!" she shouted, raising her voice in irritation. Several people in the bar looked over at her, twisting in their seats to see what was going on.  
  
Reno shot them all a deadly look. "Elena," he said in a tight quiet voice, "A lot of the stuff we do requires us to be silent. You would do very well to remember that. Secrecy is important. Don't forget it." He had a death gripe on her arm and an angry look in his dark blue eyes.  
  
"Sorry," Elena murmured, face colored with shame.  
  
Reno released her arm and patted Rude on the back. "Let's get going," he suggested. "No more mistake, Elena," he added softly, but the anger and malice were both gone from his face and voice. Now he only looked vaguely interested in everything.   
  
Elena sighed. If they hadn't been ordered to blow up the Highwind, they wouldn't have to be heading to a desert island to steal a different airship. Sometimes she wondered what her superiors did with all their time. They certainly didn't spend it thinking things through because if they did, it would have shown in the way things turned out.  
  
Barret Wallace was a big man. That was the first thing Rikku thought when she saw him. Bulging muscles stood out on his arms and chest. His hair was cut close to his scalp in a severe military style, but she got the feeling that he wasn't the type with high discipline levels. She judged that based on the endless stream of curses emerging from his mouth.  
  
He was talking to Cid, Yuffie, and Tifa. He hadn't noticed her yet, which was fine by her. It gave her additional time to survey him. His right arm was what was really puzzling her though. It had a machina-type gun attached, which made very little sense to her. Either he had lost his hand and then had the attachment put on or he had cut his hand off to get it.  
  
She wondered away, turned the idea over in her mind for several moments without success. North Coral was a shitty town, she had quickly learned. It reminded her of slums and garbage heaps. Something that she had never seen in Spira. Their presence had shocked her when she arrived on the Planet.   
  
"RIKKU!" Yuffie bellowed, drawing her attention back to the small knot of people. "THIS IS BARRET WALLACE, THE LEADER OF AVALANCHE!"  
  
Rikku stiffed a giggle and hurried back over, offering her left hand. "Rikku," she said brightly.   
  
"Barret!" the large, black man said shortly. He turned away from her and back to Tifa. "I don't know what I'm gonna do without her."  
  
Tifa moved foreword to comfort him and Rikku wondered away again. The town, she reasoned, couldn't be as bad as it looked normally. They had just withstood an attack from ShinRa.   
  
She shook her head and sat down abruptly. To have two different groups of humans fighting each other didn't make any sense at all. Sure, the occasional sociopath needed to be dealt with, but all in all, training people to kill other people - civil war - it was wrong.  
  
"I guess I'll just die down here," she heard a voice murmured. The echoing quality drew her over to the well and she looked down.   
  
"Hello?" she called out.  
  
A young man, probably about two years older then her, looked up. "Rikku!" he exclaimed. "You're one of Lady Yuna's guardians!"  
  
Rikku racked her brain quickly, trying to think of who the person in the well was. He was wearing a ShinRa uniform, but looked extremely uncomfortable in it.  
  
"It's Clasko!" he shouted. "We never really met, but I saw you at Luca Stadium after Sin was defeated."  
  
"Okay, sure," Rikku said easily. "I remember hearing about you. You're a member - or were anyway - of the Chocobo Knights."  
  
Clasko nodded eagerly.  
  
"So, why with the ShinRa now?" she asked softly. "Or better yet, do you know where they took the little girl?"  
  
Clasko looked down at his submerged feet. "Yeah..." he mumbled. "But," and he looked up with a desperate look on his face, "I didn't know what they were planning!"  
  
"What were they planning?" Rikku asked, elbows propped up on the edges of the well.  
  
"I thought that I should check out this place - the Planet - so I joined ShinRa. I figured it would be an okay move. The soldiers, I thought, were just for protection purposes. Fighting fiends and monsters, you know? Then when we were ordered to attack North Coral... I didn't know what to do. I panicked and tried to get the little girl away from here, but...."  
  
"They found out and threw you down the well?" Rikku suggested.   
  
"She screamed and pushed me," Clasko said. "I stumbled back and..."  
  
"So why not call for help?" Rikku asked. "Then you could get out of here -"  
  
"Are you kidding!" Clasko gasped. "I heard what Mr. Wallace is saying. He's gonna do an awful lot of bad stuff to the next ShinRa soldier that he sees and it's not going to be me!"  
  
Rikku giggled. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you." She disappeared from sight and hurried over to the small group.   
  
"Hey," Yuffie said softly. "No leads yet. You find anything?"  
  
"Clasko," Rikku responded. "Excuse me, Barrette." She waited until he turned to look at her and then smiled hesitantly. "I found someone who knows where your daughter is -"  
  
"WHERE!" Barret roared.   
  
"He's with ShinRa -" Rikku began.  
  
"WHAT! WHERE! I'll fing blow him a new hole!"  
  
"Which is why he hasn't said anything yet. He's scared and trapped." She paused. "And he tried to save your daughter, but she got away from him because he didn't explain that he was trying to help her."  
  
Before Barret could say or do anything, Tifa spoke up. "Barret, calm down. We found her and can go and rescue her now. There's no need to scare our informant into silence."  
  
"He's quitting the ShinRa anyway," Rikku added. "They ended up being something unexpected."  
  
"Fine," Barret murmured. "Where is he?"  
  
"Marlene pushed him into the well," Rikku responded. "You can leave him down there until you get your answer, but let's have a rope visible, ne?"  
  
"Got one!" Yuffie proclaimed, rejoining the group. "I got it from the maintenance shed over there -"  
  
"How'd you know that we needed it?" Cid asked.  
  
"Rikku was leaning on the well for a couple minutes. I figured that would be where her informant was," Yuffie said with a shrug.  
  
"That was some quick thinking, Yuffie," Tifa said in surprise.  
  
"Yeah," the ninja responded. "That's why I'm known as Yuffie the Great."  
  
"The Great?" Rikku snickered. "That's a joke -"  
  
"Enough talk!" Barret shouted, losing a rain of bullets into the air. He snagged the rope and marched over to the well. "Where's Marlene!" he shouted down.   
  
Cid was right behind him. And the two men started shouting curses, mingled with threats towards the freaked out young man.  
  
Rikku bounded over. "Hey Clasko, this is Barret Wallace and Cid Highwind -"  
  
"DON'T LET THEM KILL ME!" Clasko screamed.   
  
"Where's Marlene?" Tifa asked, pushed between Barret and Cid.  
  
"I won't let them kill you," Rikku promised.  
  
"Or hurt me?" Clasko asked suspiciously.  
  
"Or hurt you," Yuffie promised.  
  
"Okay, they took her to Professor Hojo's lab -"  
  
"Hojo?" Tifa asked softly. "But we killed him, didn't we?"  
  
"I think that he's Unsent," Clasko said from the bottom of the well. "I only met him once, but he really spooked me. I don't think that he's sane."  
  
"Where's his fing lab?" Cid demanded.  
  
"In the City of the Ancients," Clasko said. "There's door that leads to the underground ruins." He took a deep breath. "There are two keys that you can use to get through. One of them was entrusted to our squad leader and the other one is at ShinRa headquarters in Midgar."  
  
"You're very helpful," Tifa noted.  
  
Clasko nodded. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to explore and maybe do something with chocobos... I never meant for this to happen."  
  
Rikku nudged the rope over the edge. "Climb up here, Clasko." He obediently climbed the rope, and stood before her with a repentant look on his face. "I need you to do me a favor, okay?"  
  
"Anything," Clasko answered instantly.  
  
Rikku brushed a strand of blond hair out of her face. "I need you to bring a message to Yunie."  
  
"What kind of message?" Clasko asked.  
  
"I'll write the message," Rikku said. She rummaged around for a piece of paper and wrote a brief message. Then, after sealing it, she handed it to Clasko. "Go as fast as you can, okay?"  
  
The young man nodded and cast one last fearful look at Barret. "I'll go right away!" he proclaimed. He stepped back with one foot, moving his arms back and then foreword with a bow to Rikku. "I promise not to fail Lady Rikku!" he declared. Then he was weaving his way through the small town and out of sight.  
  
"We'll have to get the key from Midgar," Tifa announced. "So we should head out tonight."  
  
"Is it very far?" Rikku asked. "I can't remember."  
  
"It's some distance," Yuffie said. "We're going to be traveling for a while."  
  
"Okay, so how are we going to split up?" Cid asked. "Tifa, who are you taking?"  
  
"I guess I'll take Barret and -"  
  
"Hold it!" Rikku exclaimed. "Why are we splitting up? We're all going to the same place, aren't we? So wouldn't it be safer to travel together?"   
  
"We'd draw too much attention," Tifa explained patiently. "A group of five is more noticeable then a group of two or three."  
  
"Well.... yeah, but still, who would care?" Rikku asked.  
  
"ShinRa... and maybe Sephy," Yuffie said. "Anyway, how about the group of two go and pick up some of the others.... like Vincent!" she suggested. "Or Nanaki! Then we could meet up at the City of the Ancients and take on ShinRa as a group."  
  
"Good idea," Tifa said. "I'll take Barret and go for the key... and I'll take Rikku as well."  
  
"What!" Yuffie shouted. "I want to go with Rikku-"  
  
"Then I'll take Yuffie and we'll head towards Cosmo Canyon," Cid announced. He spun his spear lightly. "We'll be there in no time -"  
  
"What!" Yuffie shouted again. "I want to find Vincent!"  
  
"It'll be okay," Rikku said. "After Sephiroth and ShinRa are toast, we can go find Vincent together, okay?"  
  
Yuffie pouted, "But I want to find him now! And I'd rather travel with you then this old man!"  
  
"It'll be okay," Rikku reasoned. "We'd probably end up off course anyway. Making fun of old people when we should be seriously thinking things through."  
  
"Are we ready then?" Tifa asked. Rikku nodded and so did Yuffie.   
  
"Be careful, I still have to find you a boyfriend!" Yuffie called out as Rikku departed along the railroad track with Tifa and Barret.  
  
In response, the Al Bhed girl waved.  
  
"And watch out for Sephy!" Yuffie added. "He might be after you!"  
  
Thanks for reading,  
  
Kissa-chan 


End file.
